The Forging of The Key
by 64thVanSull
Summary: Prequel to my first K.H. story The Vengeful Key. If you liked that one or you're curious about this one go ahead and have a look. This is probably the only K.H. story on this site that will use the shows/movies I have used. Want to know what they are? Read and find out. If you like it, simply leave a review or PM me to let me know what you think and I'll happily reply. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**I'm back! And so is Nairbix! This is a story that will defiantly answer any and all questions that may have entered your mind as you read the last story. Given that this is Nairbix's life story, it will be much longer than The Vengeful Key. Now in the beginning, there will be a lot of references to the Chronicles of Narnia book "The Magician's Nephew" and the tone and speech will be similar. Meaning, Nairbix will talk like he's an old time stereotype brit. NOT THAT I'M PREDJUDICE AGAINST THEM OR ANYONE! What's more, unlike when I updated the last story which I had already finished, this is still in progress and not even close to being done. That and I often get writer's block so you'll be in suspense soon if I get caught up and stop for awhile.**

 **Any way, without further delay, here is the prologue of The Forging of the Key. And as always, I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Narnia or anything other than Nairbix. And in case I forgot to mention in the last one, if you want to know what his Keyblade looks like, go back to when Yen Sid shows everyone the flashback when he meets Nairbix, read the description and look up the Keyblade Lure Breaker.**

My name is Nairbix VanSull, living manifestation and embodiment of the firstborn darkness of Narnia, and of course True Keyblade Master. Now you may know the story of me and my family searching for my wife, Natasha VanSull a.k.a. The Black Widow. And you also know of how I came to exist, but what you don't know is what transpired in my life to make me the eccentric man I am.

It began as Aslan told Peter, with the firstborn darkness brought to Narnia by Jadis. Now despite what many people may think, Jadis was not a Narnian; in fact she came from a world that has long since faded away from existence, a world once known as Charn. It was an average world filled with both royalty and magic, until Queen Jadis rose to power and fell to evil. More skilled in magic than any before her; Jadis believed all were beneath her and brought death to all who breathed in her world with a single magic word.

Queen salt skin proved to be even more eccentric than I am, and believe me that's saying something. Anyway, centuries later Jadis was brought to Narnia during its foundation thanks to two children, a wannabe magician, a horse who later became a Pegasus and a caddie driver who would be the first King to rule by the will of Aslan.

But let's get back to me. My creation occurred due to the unstable and unbound anomalies that can occur due to a newborn world. The effect of this is only temporary but it gives proof to the saying, anything can happen. From a swirling sphere of darkness and the benevolence of the great lion himself, my story began.


	2. Narnia's Firstborn Darkness

**Considering that the prologue was way too short, I went ahead and posted this with it. Enjoy and I hope some of you will make the connections to the book references. Oh, and I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, anything Disney or Narnia in any way. Only Nairbix.**

As the darkness evaporated into the nothingness from whence it came, a little boy was revealed with wide innocent eyes. He wore a long, black, leather, short sleeved coat that went down to reach his ankles when standing.

The coat had belt straps to link the sides together from his torso to the base his neck while the belts connected closing the top. From the waist down, his coat was open to show black pants and black boots and underneath the coat was a black chain mail shirt.

The coat's inside was made of frost silk to maintain a cool comforting feeling throughout the boy's body. Its outside, was made of the strongest leather that made it impossible for anything to pierce through the coat let alone pierce its wearer. His hair of course, was also pure black that went over his ears and to his forehead spiking at the tips. The tips were just above his emerald eyes and slit like pupils that looked at the creature before him, a large noble lion with a golden mane and fur.

"Hello." The boy said in his young cute voice with an English accent to the lion.

"Hello to you as well, little one." The lion replied with a noble, booming, English voice. "Tell me child, do you know where you are?" He asked kindly.

"No." The boy answered shaking his head.

"Do you know what you are?" The lion tried again.

"No." The child repeated shaking his head again.

"Do you know who you are?" He asked once more.

"No." The nameless toddler said for the third time innocently. The lion just sighed for he had been dealing with other creatures like this boy since the creation of his beloved world just only days ago.

"In that case, you are in need of a name." He said with a patient smile.

"What's a name?" The child asked with his head tilted in confusion.

"A name is something that is given to someone or something so they can be properly addressed. It is what separates one thing from another and gives individuality." The noble animal explained with great wisdom that passed into the boy.

"What's your name?" He asked gaining a soft chuckle from the lion.

"My name is Aslan, High King of Narnia and son of the Emperor Beyond the Sea." Aslan introduced proudly. "As for you, I can sense that you have been born from Narnia's darkness. I suppose that is to be expected with how the world is as of now."

"What's Narnia?" The still nameless toddler asked the King.

"Everything around you, the ground you stand on and the very air you breathe is Narnia. Like you, dear boy, it has just recently come to exist." Aslan informed making the child look around himself in awe.

"Wow." He exhaled with wide eyes.

"Now then, as for your name. You will be needing a noble yet unique name, let me see…" Aslan pondered until he had received an epiphany. "I know, from this day forward, you shall be known as Nairbix VanSull the living manifestation and embodiment of Narnia's firstborn darkness."

"Thank you, Aslan." Nairbix said in gratitude trying to bow, but he fell over instead. He struggled and struggled to get back up but with no avail.

"You must stand on your own two feet, Nairbix." Aslan encouraged, with determination the newly named living darkness attempted to push himself up several times, after finally giving everything he had Nairbix pushed himself back up and stood with pride at his first accomplishment.

"I did it!" He cheered, "Now what do I do?" He asked still excited causing the great lion to sigh again.

"Now you must take your first steps." Aslan replied as the toddler nodded. With each attempt Nairbix looked at his feet with determination. He fell several times as expected but with each time he found himself on the ground with dirt in his face, he picked himself up to try again refusing to lose. Finally, Nairbix had taken his first steps and looked at the great lion before him.

"What should I do now?" Nairbix asked again.

"Live." Aslan answered with a kind smile before walking away, however the noble High King was stopped by yet another question.

"What does "live" mean, Aslan?" Nairbix asked testing Aslan's patience.

"You must learn that for yourself, my boy." Aslan said quickly as he increased his pace fully knowing that the living manifestation of darkness was at his heels.

"How?" Nairbix asked yet another question.

"Only you can discover that answer, Nairbix." Aslan replied curtly.

"Why?" Nairbix asked, this time Aslan did not answer. Instead he quickly turned around and roared in the boy's face, but this was an unusual type of roar, it was laced with the Deep Magic of Narnia.

"Do you know what it was I just did, Nairbix?" Aslan asked after he gave his mighty roar.

"You just used your power over the Deep Magic to give me vast amounts of knowledge because I was slightly annoying you with my simple questions." Nairbix answered dryly with his newly granted intellect. It was true, Aslan did in fact give the boy the same knowledge that would normally reside in the mind of grown man, but he still retained the innocence of a little boy.

"Forgive me," Aslan chuckled, "But I believe that you shall be better off with this knowledge. However there are some things that you must be aware of in Narnia." The lion informed.

"Such as…?" Nairbix asked awaiting an answer.

"First, there is an evil witch by the name of Jadis here in Narnia. At the moment she is incapable of entering our borders, but that does not mean that we cannot enter hers, you must never go near her or she will attempt to corrupt you." Aslan warned. "Also, if you should ever venture into an orchard with silver apples, do not take even a single bite of the fruit. It is the fruit of immortality, while it does indeed prevent the one who devoured it from dying of normal terms; it will corrupt your soul and twist your mind."

"Is that all?" Nairbix asked.

"Not quite." The lion replied. "What you must also know is that your fellow Narnians are not as educated as you are, Nairbix. They are easily confused and mislead, and I have already told them of the evil that the Witch has unleashed, some of them may confuse you for that evil." Aslan warned. "Also this is a fact that you must never forget, you have been born with a heart of pure darkness but you are not evil, Nairbix."

"Will they all treat me like that?" Nairbix asked with worry in his voice, in response Aslan looked at the child with sympathy.

"I can certainly promise you that will not be the case. There are those here in Narnia that will give you the warmth and friendship that you deserve. And take these words to heart, Nairbix." Aslan began looking the boy in the eye. "Those with good hearts, be they filled with light or darkness, should never be alone." And with that, the High King of Narnia left the little boy to his new home that was the forest.

"Well, I guess that I'm on my own now." Nairbix said to himself, with no other option he began to explore the world that created him. Despite the world being newly born it was filled with tall beautiful green trees, cool clear rivers and streams, and grassy plains as emerald as Nairbix's eyes. Later on in the day, Nairbix stumbled upon something that would always bring joy to him; it was a tall, dark tree with whitish papery leaves and date like fruit in the middle of a field.

The small plump berries attracted Nairbix giving him the craving to taste their juices, he then climbed the dark branches and plucked one of the succulent berries and popped it in his mouth. As the taste soared through his taste buds, Nairbix's slit-like pupils widened in shock. The rich taste of chocolate and caramelized crunchy butter caused a wide smile to spread across Nairbix's face, the berries had the exact same taste of toffee!

"I have seen the face of The Emperor Beyond the Sea." Nairbix said he savored the taste of the berry and unintentionally let go of the branch he was hanging from. However he did not injure himself, he did in fact skillfully and successfully landed on his feet crouching down on one knee.

Wanting to see more of the world that created him; Nairbix began to run as fast as he could with a wide smile. He then leaped up to the top of the tallest tree that he could find, as he held onto the peak of the tree, Nairbix stared all around him to see mountains, rivers, plains, valleys and the deep blue ocean in awe.

"Narnia, what an extraordinary world." He said almost breathless from the beautiful sight of his home oblivious that he would one day leave this place for so many years only to return after great suffering and loss.


	3. The First Chill

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, anything Disney, Narnia or anyone/anything other than Nairbix. This chapter is a bit of a sad one just to let you know. If any of you has read The Magician's Nephew before, this takes place after it so you will not be seeing any of the human characters aside from Jadis. Hope you like it! Oh, and Shiranai Astune, thanks for following this story too. I'm glad you like it and if you have anything to ask about PM me or leave a review if you'd like.**

Weeks had passed since Nairbix had manifested into existence, and life proved to be sweet for him. He had many friends in Narnia, the god of the river near his forest, the animals that lived beneath the trees that he watched over, the red dwarves that would often stop by to give him company during tea time though Nairbix enjoyed the food more than the actual drink.

The fauns and satyrs also befriended him when they came to learn more from the child. Yes the child was a teacher, of sorts, he would often share the knowledge given to him by Aslan to those who asked of it, and other times Nairbix would simply correct the Narnians' mistakes once he noticed them. However not all of those who walked Narnia were so kind to the boy.

These were the Narnians that Aslan had warned about, the hag tribe, several black dwarves, and wolves of certain packs, the werewolves and so many other creatures that were turning over to the side of Jadis. Nairbix had not yet met the would-be Queen of Narnia but from what he had heard, she was not someone who would enjoy sardines at tea time with the fauns.

While he had not personally met the Witch of Charn, Nairbix caught a glance at her once as he wondered near the borders of her confinement, courtesy of Aslan. She was a seven-foot tall woman with dirty blonde hair and skin as white as salt, and her eyes were dark gold and seemed to pierce all who stared into them.

She wore a long white dress that was riddled with the stains of nature, she wore no footwear and she wore a crown that once dignified her rule over the world she hailed from. But her most alerting detail was the stain around her mouth, it looked as though she had eaten an over ripe piece of black fruit, undoubtedly the stain came from the fruit of immortality she had devoured when she wondered Narnia during its first hours.

Nairbix had made sure to stay away from her and her followers as often as he could, but as time passed the boundary between the Witch and Narnia was slowly fading away; in time she would make her move on the land she wishes to conquer. But these were not the thoughts that filled Nairbix's mind today, today he could only think of what he would do in the paradise that was Narnia.

He was currently having a race with his friend, the Jackdaw, to see who was the fastest. He was called "The" Jackdaw because he was in fact the first Jackdaw to be taught in the same manner as Nairbix had on the first day of Narnia's existence by the will of Aslan.

"I thought you said, that you were the fastest flyer in all of Narnia second to Fledge the Pegasus, Jackdaw?!" Nairbix shouted to his friend who flew above him with a wide smile as he sprinted through the woods.

"That I am, little Nairbix!" Jackdaw replied almost laughing, "But it would seem that when it comes to matching your speed, I am out of my element!" The two friends simply laughed at the remark and continued with their race without a care in the world, but soon the winner was declared as Jackdaw flew down to a tree with exhaustion flowing through his small body.

"What's the matter, Jackdaw?" Nairbix asked trying to contain his laughter from the sight of his friend. "Too tired to finish a race with a child?"

"When you race against someone faster than you, Nairbix, you will know my reasons for letting a mere child win." Jackdaw retorted while panting.

"I sincerely doubt that I would be able to convince Aslan to race me, my friend." Nairbix replied as he crossed his arms.

"Aslan?" Jackdaw asked raised his head from the branch and gained an amused look from the embodiment of Narnia's darkness.

"Surly there is no one faster than I, but Aslan himself." Nairbix explained, once the two were rested Jackdaw had decided to fly back to his home leaving young Nairbix to his own. He was by himself in a forest that he was not familiar with that was too close the borders of Jadis's territory, but that didn't seem to faze him in the slightest.

Nairbix had spent hours in the woods unaware of the dangers that were looming around him, then from out of the darkness the subjects of the Witch emerged. Their total number was twelve and they seemed to surround Nairbix, the group consisted of three hags, three wolves, one Minotaur, two black dwarf archers, two werewolves, and one goyle all snarling and glaring at the child.

"Evening everyone, looking for something?" Nairbix teased nervously as the wolves circled him.

"Indeed we are, and it seems like we found you, darkness spawn." One of the wolves replied as the other two growled and barked at him.

"Me, whatever for?" Nairbix asked already certain of the answer.

"You are to come with us and swear fealty to Queen Jadis, at once." Replied a hag with her raspy voice.

"Then you all have come for nothing." Nairbix declared with courage, "You may tell your mistress, that I am loyal to Aslan and that I stand by to the freedom he gives to all of the good folk of Narnia." The followers of the false Queen chuckled darkly at his answer.

"Her Majesty said that you might say that." The Minotaur informed as he drew his axe.

"She also gave us these instructions, should you say those words." One of the dwarves added as he and his brother readied their bows. "If that be the case, then we have her full permission…to kill you to ensure that you don't assist Aslan in disrupting Her Majesty's plan."

"What plan, what does she intend to do?" Nairbix asked trying to hide his fear at the threat on his life, his enemies only laughed as they closed in on him.

"Let's just say…when the time comes…it's gonna get awful frosty here in Narnia." The Minotaur chuckled as the goyle screeched at Nairbix.

"Well, in that case…I suppose that I better find someplace to keep warm." Nairbix said as he darted off before his foes could kill him.

Thankfully, he wasn't too drained from his earlier race with Jackdaw to where it would cause him to be caught by Jadis's minions, still the wolves and werewolves were quickly gaining on him. Nairbix just ran as fast as he could in whatever direction that would lead to his safety, but unfortunately that was not the direction he was running to, it was the direction that led to the worst person he could bump into. Which he literally did, after falling on his behind, Nairbix looked up to see the tall figure of Jadis! He had ran straight into her territory!

"Oh, dear, did I get in your way, little one?" She asked with fake sweetness, clearly seeing through her false concern Nairbix sprang to his feet and stared down the evil Witch who would oppose the freedom of Narnia.

"Do not waste your breath with fake concern about me, Charn Witch!" Nairbix snarled, but Jadis continued to smile at him like a mother would to her child.

"Fake concern, whatever do you mean, child?" She asked.

"I know of your intentions for me! I know that you would have me killed if I do not side with you!" He shouted causing her smile to fade away.

"Is that so?" She asked as she began to circle Nairbix slowly. "What shall you do then? You clearly have nothing to oppose me or my forces with. What hope do you have to survive if I unleash my anger upon you for forsaking my offer?"

"Well-I…" Nairbix was at a loss for words, Jadis was right he had nothing to fight with and had no skills in combat whatsoever. His thoughts were soon interrupted by Jadis's voice.

"I am not so unmerciful as to let a child face me without any means to defend himself." She defended as she turned to look at her subjects behind Nairbix who glared at the child with hatred while Jadis glanced at him with a smirk. "Though my subjects may do…otherwise."

And with that the followers of the Witch began to chase the living embodiment of darkness. It wasn't long before Nairbix had discovered a cave entrance, having no other option he ran into the cave hoping to lose the servants of Jadis. The cave wasn't deep enough to hide in for long unfortunately, it looked as though it was carved out gray stone decorated with stalactites and stalagmites.

However, Nairbix noticed that at the end of the cave he could climb up the bulging wall to a ledge, hopefully this would give him safety. As he was climbing the wall, the werewolves were at his heels snarling and attempting to catch his little legs in their fangs, but Nairbix was able to climb much faster than the dark creatures.

He had managed to safely reach the ledge as his enemies tried to climb after him only to skid down the wall. Nairbix then noticed a strange pale light glowing at his side, he turned to see a long glowing gray crystal wedged in between a stalactite and a stalagmite.

Seeing this, Nairbix devised a plan that would hopefully take care of his pursuers. He crawled over to the crystal and began to kick it as hard as he could with both of his feet, after kicking it several more times the crystal finally broke out of its spot ready to be used for Nairbix's needs. He then rolled it to the edge above his enemies and looked at them one last time.

"Down with the bloody White Witch! Long live Aslan!" He shouted as he kicked the crystal over the edge. The werewolves' eyes widened as it came down on their heads along with the others' heads killing them all on impact. Nairbix then slid down the wall while grinning with victory. But as he had gotten near their lifeless bodies, they quickly shined blue before turning into stone.

"What is this magic?" He asked himself as he eyed the crystal, just then the sound of bare feet slapping against the cold stone floor could be heard from behind him; it was Jadis looking only at the crystal and not her fallen servants. She then bent down to pick up the long glowing gem with only one hand. After staring at it with her cold eyes for a moment, she smashed the crystal against the wall creating a clap of blue thunder in the cave and simultaneously blinding Nairbix for a moment.

When the light cleared, Jadis was giving a wicked smile as she looked at what was in her hand. In her hand was a long gray scepter that had a long gray crystal spear that held the power to turn whatever it pierced into stone. She then glanced at a wide eyed Nairbix without saying a word as she walked out of the cave, thoughts began to race in Nairbix's mind after he saw the weapon.

"Did she trick me into coming here?" He asked himself. It was possible, that ledge that held the crystal was fairly small and given Jadis's height it would have been impossible to climb up there and reach it herself. Nairbix was now gritting his teeth in anger as he realized that Jadis had in fact used him for her own benefit, even if he had managed to kill her followers.

After riding his head of these thoughts from his head, Nairbix made his way out of the cave only to be met with a cold chill through the air of the forest. It wasn't the type of chill that came from the climate. It was the type that left an anonymous feeling in the pit of one's stomach.

As he walked through the forest, Nairbix tripped over an oddly shaped stone, but after he picked himself up, he saw the stone and all of the blood left his face. The stone was actually a rabbit statue with a terrified expression attempting to run away from whatever frightened it.

Now more aware of his surroundings, Nairbix began to scan the ground around him only to find more Narnians in similar states of death. He even saw his friend Jackdaw on the ground at the base of a tree with one of his wings broken off, most likely due to the impact.

"What have I done?" Nairbix asked shakily as tears began to form in his eyes, his mourning was soon interrupted by a shrill shriek behind him. It was a young female faun carrying a basket of flowers. Nairbix then turned around and noticed that two of the statues were adult fauns; one male and one female. In other words, the little faun's parents. By now, other Narnians were beginning to surround the two and notice the statues, each of them had heard about the living manifestation and embodiment of their home's darkness, but none knew what he was capable of.

"Murderer!" The young faun cried out already convincing the other Narnians.

"Please, listen to me!" Nairbix pleaded as fear made its way into him. "I did not kill these-" He stopped, maybe he was responsible for their deaths. In his eyes, this was just as much his fault as Jadis's, he was the one who practically put the scepter in her hands.

"This is the evil that Aslan warned us about!" A badger shouted as he pointed his paw at Nairbix as everyone glared and shouted at the little boy in agreement. The orphaned faun even went as far as to chuck the broken wing that once belonged to Jackdaw at Nairbix's head. He stared down at the wing in shock as the pain made itself known to Nairbix. He then touched the wound to find his own blood for the first time on his finger tips and Jackdaw's wing. For a moment, he was deadly silent, but he then looked at the orphan and gave her a glare that should not belong in the eyes of a three year old boy.

"How dare you dishonor my fallen friend's body?" He said softly but harshly as his eyes blazed with emerald fire causing them all to step back in fear. He then put the wing in his coat's pocket, another stone was then tossed at his head drawing even more blood from his forehead. By now, many of the Narnians were readying themselves to strike against Nairbix.

"You must forge me." A soft voice said in Nairbix's head only to be ignored by him. Despite his bravery, Nairbix had no skills in combat; especially given his size and lack of strength compared to those around him.

With no other option, he darted into the forest as fast as his legs could carry him with the Narnians at his heels. Thankfully, he was still the fastest in Narnia, second only to Aslan so getting away wasn't much of the problem at hand. What was the problem, was getting across the great river to his forest without being caught by his pursuers. If luck was on his side, then maybe his friend, The River God would help him to safety. Today was certainly not the best day for young Nairbix.

As he was running, he was constantly being pelted by stones and at one point, one of them brought him to the ground giving several birds the chance to claw and peck at his face before running again. After he finally made it to the river, Nairbix cried out in pain for his friend to give him safe passage. The River God then took physical form made out of the water and gladly did so. But Nairbix did not stop running after he lost the mob, he didn't stop until he came to the base of the Toffee Tree with blood streaming down his head from the wounds the Narnians gave him.

He then pulled out Jackdaw's wing and caressed it in his bloody little hands as he sobbed. "Jackdaw." He wept as he remembered his friend's petrified form of death.

Though he and the Narnians did not know it, Narnia had experienced the first chill of the Witch's winter with the chill of the first deaths to occur in Narnia.


	4. The Departure and Meeting

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or anything Disney or Narnia. Be prepared for a tearful goodbye and a loving family moment. Hope you all enjoy and when the song comes up, you best go with the version from the new movie, you'll know what I mean once you get to it.**

Word spread quickly of what had transpired near the borders of the two territories. Many Narnians began to take sides, one defending Nairbix, and the other demanding that he either be brought to justice or killed. This began eight months ago. Many had often visited Nairbix, either to express their friendship and support to him or to spit at him and beat him. The later was more common than the former.

Even Aslan had heard of this awful news and felt responsible to put an end to it. But the question was; how to do it without causing even more of an uproar? He obviously could not bring harm to the Narnians at this point, they were still naïve and their thoughts could easily be corrupted by sins. Still, there was no excuse for nearly beating a three year old to death due to a misunderstanding. Even the humans that he entrusted the rule of Narnia to had forsaken Nairbix, and had even went as far as to exile him from their land. This madness needed to end before another innocent life was lost, which if nothing was done it would be Nairbix's.

Few had actually defended the young boy and stood by his side, but Nairbix said whatever he could to convince them not to, to spare themselves from facing the same ridicule that he had. Aslan was currently making his way to the forest where Nairbix lived in. As he made his way to the river, The River God took physical form to grant passage for the High King and gave him a solemn look through his rapid water face.

After passing through the river, Aslan continued the path to the Toffee Tree where Nairbix undoubtedly was and passed many more of the Narnians who stood by Nairbix's side with the same looks on their faces as The River God's and when he arrived he saw a terrible sight. It was Nairbix holding himself with eyes that could only be gained after witnessing so much death and pain.

Nairbix was able to sense Aslan's presence and looked to his direction to see a look of pity. It seemed as though even his beloved berries could not bring joy to his broken heart. So instead, he hoped to find the kindness in the great lion once again in his embrace. If it were allowed.

But Nairbix could not wait for permission any longer, he rushed over to his friend and began to sob uncontrollably into his golden mane as Aslan comforted the child, like an older brother would do to his younger sibling.

"Shh, it's alright, Nairbix. It's alright." Aslan soothed.

"They all want me dead!" The child wailed. "Jackdaw and my other friends are dead because of the Witch!"

"I know, little one. Believe me, I know." Aslan said sadly.

"They exiled me!" Nairbix cried through his heartbroken tears and sniffles. Hearing this, Aslan practically snapped.

"Nairbix, listen to me." Aslan ordered trying to keep his composure, Nairbix looked up at the lion's face and saw his frustration. "You do not answer to any of them! You are a free spirit and a free Narnian! If you should desire to walk through Narnia's meadows and fields, then you may do so and let no one tell you otherwise!" Aslan shouted. "If you wish to swim in the cool waters of Narnia, then who has any right to stop you?! If want to step foot on any blade of grass, grain of sand or patch of dirt in the land that chose to give you life…then why shouldn't you?" Aslan asked calming down, Nairbix was simply speechless and no longer crying after the declaration while Aslan continued.

"Your life was not made through my will, or even that of the Emperor Beyond the Sea's. You were born through the will of Narnia. You are a part of it and it is a part of you, I believe that Narnia itself has chosen you for a great purpose."

"You do?" Nairbix asked. "Then what is it?" Aslan chuckled at the question softly.

"You must find that out for yourself, my little friend. But when you begin walking down your path, let nothing stop you. Do not let anything defeat you from fulfilling your purpose, Nairbix." He informed while unknowingly placing the boy's lifelong tenant.

"It doesn't matter now, everyone in Narnia has turned against each other because of both Jadis and myself." Nairbix reminded sadly, this discouraged Aslan. He did prove a valid point, the Narnians were dividing amongst themselves; be it for his side, Nairbix's or the Witch's. War would eventually break out in these lands and with the current situation, Nairbix would not be safe.

"What if I were to send you to someplace safe, a place where you would no longer need to worry about the stability of Narnia's order?" Aslan asked choosing his words carefully.

"You want me to leave Narnia?" Nairbix asked thinking Aslan was attempting to dispose of him like common trash.

"For your safety, Nairbix." He quickly reassured. "It would be a place that would give you the love and happiness that you both need and deserve."

"But…" Nairbix began quietly before looking around to look at his beloved home through his tears. "I thought that I could find that here in Narnia?"

"As did I, little one. But your fellow Narnians are still too naïve to fully grasp what- no…who you really are. However this is your choice, it pains me do to this more than you know, my friend." Aslan admitted sadly. It was several moments before Nairbix gave his answer through two small words filled with a large meaning.

"For Narnia." He said sadly as his voice shook.

The next day Aslan had escorted Nairbix to the shores at the base of the great castle of Cair Paravel, saying farewell to his remaining friends was hard but Nairbix saw this as his duty as a proud Narnian, his sacrifice was for the greater good of Narnia in his eyes. The two friends stood together before the clear waves of the sea, neither one wished to say goodbye; but the choice had already been made.

Aslan gave a soft roar in the direction of the sea and created a portal made of pure concentrated light, he then turned to the little boy before him and looked at him filled with guilt.

"This is it." Nairbix said with a hard sigh as he gazed out at the ocean of the land that he manifested from.

"It would seem so." Aslan said sadly. "I am truly sorry, Nairbix. I thought that you would be accepted by more of the Narnians than you actually were. This is my fault, all your suffering is because of me and not maintaining order and providing guidance for the Narnians. I do not blame you if you hate us."

But Nairbix then did something that the great lion did not expect, he walked over to him and embraced him in a brotherly hug. He then whispered in his friend's ear and said, "Narnia and all the good folk in it, is my home and family." And with that, the living manifestation and embodiment of Narnia's firstborn darkness Nairbix VanSull departed his home beginning to walk down his own path.

As the bright light of the portal finally cleared, Nairbix looked upon the world that would supposedly give him the love and happiness he both needed and deserved. It was a beautiful valley filled with strange creatures with cool clear water covering most of the ground. The creatures that could be seen consisted of peacefully happy looking goblin-like creatures, tall guardsmen made out of vines, earth and moss, little trolls that seemed to have parts of their environments growing out of their bodies, and glowing little pixies.

"What a funny looking world." Nairbix said as he gazed at the valley in awe, it was no Narnia but it did seem like a nice place. He then began to explore his new home and discover its wonders, for the most part he was alone; none of the locals seemed to have any desire to interact with Nairbix, whether it was because they had no desire or they simply let him be was unknown. But that soon changed after Nairbix had come across three of the land's residents.

They were three little fairies, one was dressed in reddish-pink clothes with clear wings on her back and a little red wand in her hand. The next one had wild blonde hair and was wearing all green clothes with the same wings as the previous fairy, but her wand was green instead of red. The final one was a bit shorter than the other two fairies and had both a blue wand and clothes.

"Excuse me, dear." The red fairy asked sweetly, "Are you lost by any chance?"

"Well that depends." Nairbix replied causing the three fairies to look at him with curiosity. "If one is lost, then they know where it is they want to go and can't find it. But if one is exploring, then they have no idea where it is they want to go." The fairies were silent from his response and looked at him flabbergasted.

"So…is that a maybe or a…?" The confused green fairy asked, Nairbix couldn't contain his laughter any longer after seeing these fairies act so silly.

"I'm sorry, no I am not lost." Nairbix replied as he wiped away his tears from laughing so hard. "Why did you think that I was lost?" He asked.

"Well, we don't exactly see many humans here in the Moors." The blue fairy replied.

"Human? Oh! You mistake me for a Son of Adam." Nairbix realized confusing the fairies with his term. "I can assure you three that I am not a human. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Nairbix VanSull living manifestation and embodiment of Narnia's firstborn darkness." He said with a bow, seeing a child this young doing something so mature made the three fairies want to squeal due to his cuteness, but they resisted.

"Well then, young man. My name is Flora." The red fairy introduced respectfully.

"I'm Fauna!" The green fairy chirped.

"And I am Merriweather." The blue fairy said with a curtsy.

"A pleasure, but I must ask, why is it that humans are not seen here in the…Moors is it?" Nairbix asked.

"Humans have been attempting to invade our home for the longest time." Flora explained, "They believe that the Moors is riddled with gems and jewels that will solve any financial trouble for an entire kingdom for all time. We are fortunate enough that they cannot enter here, if they ever did then the Moors would certainly lose its beauty."

"But certainly you have some defenses to ensure your safety, don't you?" Nairbix asked.

"Of course we do, we have our warriors and Maleficent!" Fauna exclaimed.

"Who's Maleficent?" Nairbix asked.

"Maleficent is a powerful fairy who watches over and protects the Moors, she is a bit different than us regular fairies though." Merriweather said causing Nairbix to ask yet another question.

"Different how?"

"Unlike us, Maleficent is the size of a fully grown human with giant beautiful wings and large horns on top of her head." Fauna described, however Nairbix was picturing a hideous looking beast instead. "In fact she is most likely out patrolling the borders of the Moors as we speak. You really are a curious little Moor, aren't you?"

After the ditsy fairy asked him this, Nairbix became very flustered and defensive. "I am not a Moor or a human! I am a Narnian from the land of Narnia; created by the great lion and High King Aslan, son of the mighty Emperor Beyond the Sea and founder of the Deep Magic! My name is Nairbix VanSull, living manifestation and embodiment of Narnia's firstborn darkness brought by the White Witch Jadis! This title was given to me by his High Majesty Aslan himself!" He shouted shocking the trio of fairies at his outburst.

"You seem to have great pride in yourself and home, little one." A soft voice said from above, it came from a beautiful woman dressed in brown robes, she had skin as pale as the moon and piercing golden eyes. She also had long raven black hair that reached down to her back, but what was most alerting out of all of her features were her long black horns and large dark brown wings keeping her aloft in the air.

"You must be Maleficent." Nairbix stated as he watched the fairy touch the ground.

"Indeed I am, and you certainly made your introduction quite well known, Nairbix." She said with a smirk to a now sheepish Nairbix. "I am however curious as to how you came here from your homeland."

"It's not a very cheerful tale, I can tell you if you want to hear it-but please do not think less of my people, they still have much to learn." Nairbix pleaded, he then told the four fairies of Narnia's creation and his own and what had caused his reason to leave, by this time many of the Moors' inhabitants had gathered to hear the boy's tale. "And then I arrived here earlier today." Nairbix finished with a sad look on his face.

"How could so many do such a thing to a child?" Flora asked appalled at the Narnians who ridiculed Nairbix.

"I doubt I will ever return to Narnia, or see Aslan and my friends again." He said about ready to cry, despite his maturity and intellect, Nairbix was still a child with the mindset and emotions of a three year old boy. They fairies were about to console him; but he turned away trying to control his tears. "I'm not crying at all! No I'm not!" He shouted cutely, but he was in fact crying. He did manage to hold it in for at most three seconds before he was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Maleficent, don't just stand there, hold him!" The three fairies shouted while flailing their arms at their sides. Maleficent reluctantly did as she was told and picked up the sobbing child.

"There, there." She comforted awkwardly as she stroked his hair, Maleficent clearly had no experience with children. After he had calmed down and dried his tears, Nairbix was placed back down on the ground and looked slightly embarrassed.

"What will you do now, where will you live?" Fauna asked.

"I was hoping that I could live here in the Moors-but I understand if you would prefer if I stayed somewhere else, I don't wish to be a burden to you." Nairbix said humbly before walking away, but as he was walking he was hugged once again by Maleficent. She cradled him in her arms; and unlike last time it wasn't awkward for either of them.

"What would you say, if I let you stay with me?" She asked like a mother would to her child. "You would never be seen as a burden to any of us, Nairbix. It may not be Narnia, but the Moors can be your new home, if you want it to be." Her next choice of words would forever change Nairbix's life, so she thought for a moment how to put delicately. "And if you would like to…I would take you in as my own?"

As he heard her offer, Nairbix felt something in his dark heart that had never reviled itself before, it was a new type of warmth that seemed even stronger than what he felt with Aslan and his other friends back in Narnia. "What are you saying?" He asked the protector of the Moors.

"I'm saying, would you like to be my son? I'm aware that we have only just met, but you have managed to find a way into my heart. What do you say, Nairbix?" She asked.

It seemed that Aslan was right, this world was already giving him the love and happiness that he needed and deserved, it was the love and happiness that children could receive from their parents. Like he had found a way into Maleficent's heart, she and the Moors found their way into his own heart, this maybe what it is he needs; a mother.

"Would it be alright if I call you…Mother?" He asked nervously afraid that she would say no. At first she was surprised at his question but she quickly reassured him as she stroked his hair with a warm smile.

"Of course you can, darling." She said as he finally returned the hug. Later that day, night had finally fallen and Nairbix was acting his age by defying his mother's attempts to soothe him to sleep, even though he was nearly asleep already. "Nairbix, you need your rest, go to sleep." Maleficent said to her new son amused at his feeble attempts to stay awake.

"But I'm not tired." He whined as he eyes kept drooping.

"Yes, you are." Maleficent said trying to contain her laughter.

"No, I'm not." He denied, even though she found it amusing and adorable, Maleficent needed to make her darling son fall asleep. So, she decided to lull him to sleep with a song. Unfortunately, she wasn't the best singer and her voice often sounded dark and scary to those who heard her sing.

"I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream." She sang darkly unaware that this was very soothing to Nairbix and did not frighten him. "I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam. And I know it's true, that visions are seldom what they see. But if I know you I'll know what you'll do, you'll love me at once the way you did once upon a dream."

Maleficent then noticed that Nairbix was soundly sleeping on the bed of grass she made for him through her powers of plant life. She then parted his hair away from his face and stroked it in her pale hand. "Imagine that, I'm a mother. I wonder how Stefan would react to him?" She thought out loud about her childhood friend. She then laid down by Nairbix and planted a kiss on his cheek before falling asleep herself.

In a single day, Nairbix lost one home and so many friends and gained a new home, new friends and a mother. If only he were to keep this happiness when he'll need it in the distant future, when all the light around him will fade to the darkness.


	5. Forging of The Key

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or anything Disney. Sorry for those of you who were confused with this, I didn't realize that I forgot to post this chapter. Hope you like it and can forgive me!**

Two years had passed since Nairbix arrived in the Moors, for the most part living in a completely different world did not affect Nairbix as much as it would a normal person. The Moors proved to be an excellent and peaceful place, completely cut off from anyone or anything beyond its borders, this was a welcomed security for its inhabitants. And the recently appointed mother and son who were now enjoying an early morning bath. Well, to be more accurate, Maleficent was while Nairbix was hesitating to enter the water while the Moors watched him undress.

"Mum!" He called nervously, "Are you sure it's okay to bathe here? The Moors won't stop looking at me!" He whined while using his coat to cover himself, Maleficent simply rolled her eyes with a smirk at her son's worrying as she tried to wash her large wings.

"It's fine, darling!" She called back from the water. Not wanting to argue with his mother, Nairbix laid down his coat against the rocks and slowly entered the water.

"But Mum, what if they laugh at me?" He asked as he called to her again.

"Nairbix, you need to take your bath." Maleficent reminded as she continued to wash herself and wait for her son. As he splashed his way over her, the trio of fairies flew above Maleficent's head to speak with her.

"Good morning, Maleficent." They chorused.

"Good morning, ladies. Is there something that you need to discuss with me?" She asked as Nairbix finally made it to her legs, as soon as he noticed it wasn't just himself and his mother, he quickly covered himself by hiding behind Maleficent's leg.

"From what we have heard, the nearby kingdom has reached a decision regarding the Moors." Flora informed.

"Go on, what was their decision?" Maleficent asked.

"Today in several hours, they will lead an invasion on the Moors in order to claim it as a part of their territory. If we don't act fast, then they will succeed!" Meriwether exclaimed.

Maleficent then took a moment to collect her thoughts before telling the fairies what to do. "Inform the guards of what you have told me, let all those who live near our borders to evacuate and come here to the river valley."

"What will you do?" Fauna asked, Maleficent smiled before she picked up Nairbix and held him in her arms while his face flushed in embarrassment.

"When they come, I will meet the soldiers in battle. But for now, I need to give my bashful little boy here his bath." She replied as Nairbix groaned while rubbing her nose to his.

After the reluctant bath was finished and Maleficent was drying Nairbix off, he began to wince in pain and hold his head with one of his hands. "Headaches again, darling?" She asked with concern as they were dressing themselves, he weakly nodded his head as the pain continued.

Maleficent pressed her lips against her son's head to see if he had a fever only to find it perfectly normal. "You don't seem to have a fever…let's just find you a nice place to rest until the pain goes away, alright?" She asked receiving a nod of the head in her embrace as she picked him up, she then laid Nairbix down on their usual bed of grass and stroked his hair lovingly.

"Sleep well, darling. When I get back and if you're feeling any better, we'll go play in the streams, sound good?" She asked as Nairbix whimpered from the pain, Maleficent then planted a kiss on his cheek and left to go off to battle.

It wasn't long after that Nairbix began to writhe in pain from his headache, cold sweat began to form on his head as a single voice filled it.

"What would you do with power? What would you exchange for it if it was given to you?" But Nairbix never gave any response to the voice for the pain was too much for him to even form a sentence. Then everything faded into darkness and Nairbix began to fall through its void, there's no telling how long he fell but to him, time was lost. He soon began to see a very peculiar sight below him, it was a large dark red stain glass circle panel.

On its surface at the right side, a sleeping Nairbix leaning against the rim could be seen. Towards the upper left side and partially in the center were four smaller circles, one had the image of Aslan on it while the other three were blank. Surrounding the panel were black symbols linked together in smaller red circles to hold them.

The symbol was a circle with a small point on top with a dot in the center, and at the bottom left and right parts of it were straight rectangles that then at their ends bent to cross over each other and reached up to the sides of the circle.

After Nairbix had finished falling, he gently landed on the panel and waited for whatever would come next. Just then, three pedestals appeared in a flash of light at the edges of the beautiful glass with an item barely floating above them. One was a beautiful and powerful broadsword, the second was a large and thick black shield, and the third was a short golden staff with a blue magical crystal.

"The power sleeps within you, if you give it form it will give you strength." The voice said as each weapon appeared. "Choose well."

Nairbix made his way over to the staff to see what power it would give him, as he picked it up the voice filled the void again. "The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. Is this the power you seek?" It asked, Nairbix shook his head and placed the staff back in place before he examined his other options. He then took hold of the shield and listened to the voice again.

"The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. Is this the power you seek?" Once again, Nairbix refused before he went to see his final option's potential, he walked over and grasped the sword firmly in his hands as the voice spoke.

"The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?" This time however was different, Nairbix had actually agreed to the power and as he did the sword disintegrated into light and entered Nairbix's body. "What power will you give up?" It asked.

Without much thought on the matter, Nairbix gave up the power of the mystic and left the power of the guardian to fade away, and not a moment later in a cylinder of darkness, Nairbix's Keyblade Heartbreaker appeared in his hand.

It was about the length for a child his size it was menacing, it was magenta and black it had green eye with a black slit for a pupil just above the hilt. The guard was in the shape of black heart with curved thorns outlining it, the hilt was black with a hint of red through the center with two red swirls on the center one on top of the other.

At the end of the guard was chain and at the end was a red arrow with a curved down spike on each side with an inward curve just under each one. The blade itself was black with hints of red, decorated down straight blade were S swirls and half S swirls in the color blood red, at the end of the blade were the teeth that seemed demonic it was like the rest of the blade black with hints of red. It seemed to be made of thorns and spikes, it truly was a weapon fitting someone with a heart of pure darkness; it was a Keyblade of darkness.

"The weapon has been forged. Go forth, chosen wielder of the Keyblade." In a flash bright light, Nairbix had left The Station of Awakening; and though he didn't know it, his sleeping image on the panel that was his heart was now wielding Heartbreaker in his left hand.

When Nairbix awoke moments later, the rising sun shined in his eyes briefly blinding him. How long had he been in his Station? Hours? Days? Had his mother been worried sick? Oh, dear golden mane of the great lion, his mother! Did she win the battle, did she die in combat-what had happened to his dear parent while he was unconscious?!

Nairbix began to run as fast as his little legs could carry him through the Moors to find anyone who could give him the answer. But his little excursion was quickly brought to an end when he bumped into someone larger than himself.

"Pardon me, I am truly sorry for that-" Nairbix's apology was cut short when he gazed at who it was he ran into. It was his mother, clutching a long a long golden scepter that held a green orb on its top, a crow was also bouncing around her head to see if she was alright, but the most shocking thing about Maleficent was…she was missing her beloved wings! "Mother, wh-what happened to you?" He asked as he helped her to her feet.

"My wings were taken from me, Nairbix. They were taken from me by someone who I trusted my heart with, only to have it crushed." Maleficent said in the same bitter and cold tone that she would use for the rest of her life and only add love in it for her child. "Take these words to heart, my son. Humans can only hurt people!" She growled as she limped past Nairbix.

"Believe me, I know." He muttered under his breath as he thought of what humans did to Narnia and the Narnians. The crow then flew onto his shoulder and bumped his head playfully, Nairbix then stroked his head with a small smile, just like he did with Jackdaw. At that point, it wasn't just the right time to tell his mother about his new little "trick." It was the time for him to be there to give his love to the second person that actually loved him.

It wasn't until nine months passed before Maleficent, her crow Diaval and Nairbix made their way to the castle that belonged to the newly crowned King Stefan. A.K.A. the man who was once Maleficent's former childhood friend/love and the one who took her wings so that he could become the King. Ironically, Nairbix still had not informed his mother about his Keyblade. The problem wasn't that he was afraid of his mother ever since she had turned to darkness and vengeance and declared herself the Queen of the Moors. He just didn't want to bring up the matter to his mother just yet, especially not after she told him of what she had in store for the newborn princess and daughter of King Stefan.

The castle was filled with nobles and even the trio of fairies, who were very quick to change their loyalties to after Maleficent frightened them too much. To add dramatic effect, Maleficent used her magic to blow out all of the candles that lit the courtroom and scare the guests with a great gust of wind.

They all moved out of their way and left a perfect path for them to walk through, at the end the King, Queen, fairies and the cradle holding the baby could be seen. As both Maleficent and Nairbix approached them all, Maleficent began to speak with an evil and dark smirk on her pale face.

"Well, well. What a glittering assemblage, King Stefan." She said as Diaval flew down to her staff as a perch, she then began to pet his feathers and gaze about the room. "Royalty. Nobility. The gentry…and…how quaint." She chuckled as she spotted the trio. "Even the rabble." As she was speaking, Nairbix was looking at the cute face of the infant Princess Aurora in her cradle. "I must say I really felt quite distressed at not receiving an invitation."

"You're not welcome here." Stefan said nervously. Maleficent then began to act as though her feelings were hurt after he said this, but her fake disappointment was replaced by evil chuckles. Her expression then changed of shock and realization.

"Oh, dear. What an awkward situation!" She said while stroking Nairbix's hair after he walked back to her side.

"But you're not offended?" The Queen asked louder than her husband.

"Why, no." She replied. "And to show I bear no ill will, I, too, shall bestow a gift onto the child."

"No! We don't want your gift!" Stefan shouted as he rose from his throne.

"Stay away from the princess!" Flora ordered the larger fairy as she and her sisters defended the infant.

"Yes, stay away!" Fauna exclaimed, but Maleficent simply tossed them aside into a trunk with a flick of her hand as she and Nairbix went to the cradle. She then thought of what she ought to do to the baby; Maleficent then focused her magic to her fingertips and readied her spell.

"Listen well, all of you. The Princess shall indeed grow in grace and beauty, beloved by all who meet her."

"That's a lovely gift." The Queen interrupted wanting the dark fairy to stop.

"Don't do this." Stefan pleaded softly. But both she and Nairbix gently raised a finger to their lips to silence the King and Queen.

"Mother." Nairbix said madly as he tugged on her black robes, he then pointed at the spindle of a nearby spinning wheel with his eyes blazing with emerald fire from his slit like pupils. The thoughts then began to race in Maleficent's head from this inspiration as she slowly walked towards it.

"But…" She began as she collected her green magic and let it envelope her. "Before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a sleeplike death, a sleep from which she will never awaken!"

"Maleficent, please don't do this, I'm begging you." Stefan pleaded.

"I like you begging. Don't you, Nairbix darling?" She asked her son who smirked at the human King evilly.

"It suits any arrogant Son of Adam. That and traitors." He replied as he glared at the pitiful ruler.

"Do it again." They both demanded. He then reluctantly bowed to them on one knee and begged once more.

"I beg you." He repeated.

"Alright." Maleficent said smiling wickedly at him. "The princess can be woken from her death sleep. But only by…true love's kiss." She then turned to the all the guests and continued. "This curse shall last till the end of time! No power of this world can change it." It was then that Nairbix added his own touch to the curse as he summoned his Keyblade shocking all who saw it as darkness enveloped both it and him.

"And if any power beyond true love's kiss should try to end this curse…may they be stopped by the powers of this mighty key! And as its strength grows, so shall this curse." And with that, the three of them left the castle after leaving their mark on the baby.

Back at the now darker Moors, Maleficent and Nairbix were basking in their victory over the traitor Stefan. However, Maleficent was more curious as to what that key that her son used was.

"Nairbix." She said in a stern tone, "Where did you acquire that key and more importantly, when did you come across it?"

"…Would you believe that…I made it inside myself…that day you went to battle?" He asked nervously like any regular child would say as though he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and of course his mother was giving him the disappointed glare and stern hands on hips.

"You didn't tell me about this, it has been nine months and you didn't tell me about this?" Maleficent asked.

"In my defense, I didn't want to add any distractions to you-and I knew that you were in all sorts of pain. So that's why I didn't tell you, are you upset?" Nairbix asked.

"No, I'm not upset. Though I do wish that you would have told me sooner. In any case, we will need to move away from the Moors for the time being." She informed Nairbix gaining his attention and confusion as she began to walk away from her throne of dead branches.

"What, where will we go then?" He asked following her at her heels, she looked down at him with a small smile and held his little hand in her own as Diaval flew down onto Nairbix's shoulder.

"After my wings were taken from me, I had wondered through the land surrounding the Moors and stumbled upon an old abandoned castle. Now it may not be in the best of shape, but I have my servants restoring most of it as we speak. And before I forget, I have something for you, darling." Maleficent said as she pulled an item from her robes, in her hands was a limp, black poorly made stuffed dragon clearly hand made by the dark fairy herself.

At the sight of the stuffed toy, Nairbix's eyes lit up and a wide happy grin grew on his face. He held it tightly in his arms after his mother handed it to him and gained a look of pure joy at the sight of her little one's happiness from his mother.

"Thank you, Mother, I love you." Nairbix said happily.

"I love you too, darling." She replied with a slight chuckle.

The next few months passed on fairly quickly, the little family kept their eyes on the cursed infant after they discovered that she had been taken by the trio of fairies by the order of King Stefan. But at one point in these months, Maleficent struggled to make a difficult choice concerning her child, this was not the first time she had come across the Keyblade. It was in fact the second time.

At one point in her childhood, she had met an older man who had both a Keyblade and very powerful magic. The choice that she was considering was either keeping her son to herself, or to inform this other wielder of the Keyblade and allow him to train Nairbix on how to properly wield it.

So one day, at the base of their secret castle, the great Keyblade Master Yen Sid was making his way up the barren hill that led to the ruined castle that held the fallen fairy Maleficent. He wore long blue robes and a blue pointy hat decorated with two yellow stars and a yellow crescent moon.

His beard was darker in the center and came straight down like a streak in between the graying sides of long beard. The guards looked at him with glares but did nothing for they knew not to even think of anything that might give the wizard a reason to use his magic on them.

He continued walking until he came into the fallen fairy's throne room, and there he saw her dressed in black robes, with long horns, pale moon skin with long black hair reaching down to the center of her back. She was currently sitting on her throne with her staff in her left hand and a large black jeweled ring on her right middle finger. She gazed down at the wizard from her high perch, Diaval then swooped down and landed on the top of her staff, she still looked down on the old man who did not look away and stood firm towards Maleficent.

"I'm glad to see you received and accepted my invitation, Yen Sid." She said with a sickening sweet smile.

"Obviously, or else I would not have bothered coming here, Maleficent. Is he here or not?" Yen Sid with his natural glare.

"Of course he is. I make sure to keep him here at all times in my sight. Come along then, I will lead you to him." She said motioning over to the corridor to the left as she walked down the stair case that led to her throne. They then walked down two hallways to reach a wooden door that seemed to be in better condition than all the others that seemed to be nothing but remains of old lumber. Maleficent then opened the door to show a more cared for room that had a small soft looking bed in one corner that seemed big enough for a small child.

On the floor was a wide red circular rug that had several stuffed animals scattered around it, some were bears others were rabbits that seemed to be handmade but made poorly none the less. In the center of the carpet was the little boy holding the poorly made black limp stuffed dragon that was his favorite.

"Nairbix, darling." Maleficent said warmly to the child with a motherly smile.

"Yes, Mother?" He said turning his head to see his mother with an old man next to her.

"This is Keyblade Master Yen Sid. He is here to see that trick you can do. The one you showed me a little while ago." She reminded her son.

"Oh, okay." He then stood up and lifted his left arm to his right and made a motion where it looked like he was pulling something out. As he waved his arm over to where it was extended down at his side a cylinder of darkness surrounded his arm and in his hand was a Keyblade, clearly one of darkness in eyes of Yen Sid.

"Like that, sir?" Nairbix asked innocently looking up at the older man who smiled at him.

"Yes, little one. Do you know what this is?" He asked pointing at the weapon in the little boy's hand. He received a shake of the head telling him no. "That is what is known as a Keyblade. I have come to offer you a chance to learn how to properly wield it." The boy looked very shocked at what he heard and then looked at his mother to see if it was alright to answer.

"It's your choice, darling." Maleficent said with a sad reassuring smile at her boy. He then put away his Keyblade and walked over to his mother and hugged her legs. She felt tears come to her eyes as she crouched down to meet his level and hugged him back now knowing his answer.

"Will I be able to see her again?" Nairbix asked the older man.

Yen Sid looked at him with a smile and said, "Of course, she will be able to visit you while you train with me. Do not worry this will not be the last time you see your mother. This will also be a chance for you to have many adventures and friends both from many worlds."

Nairbix then looked at his mother's cold eyes that he knew were filled with love for him and him alone. He then said to her, "Thank you so much for everything that you have done for me. You took me in and raised me even though it was for a short time. I know I'm not your real son, but I am glad that you took me in and that you were the first one to love me."

"I may not have given birth to you, but never think for a moment that you are not my real son. I am so glad that I found you and that I am your mother. I love you, sweetheart. So much." She said to him with tears in her eyes. Her crow Diaval, looked at his little master with a sad look in his eyes as he watched the boy he too loved, leave them.

"Are you ready, Nairbix?" Yen Sid asked sad to see the one thing that gave the dark fairy happiness. The boy then grabbed all of his things together in a little sack with his dragon in his left arm and nodded. The new apprentice then walked out of the castle while all of the creatures that guarded it bowed their heads in sadness as they saw their little master leave.

As they were walking out of the castle Nairbix spoke up, "Um, Master? You do know that I have a heart of pure darkness, don't you?"

Yen Sid looked down at the little boy holding his hand, and noticed that he had a scared look on his face when he asked this question. He gave him a kind smile and said to him, "Yes, I do know that. But I do not see why that would change my reasons for wanting to teach you. Many believe that the nature of one's heart defines that person, but I say otherwise. I think that it is the actions one makes that define them, makes them whom they are. Whether or not they have more darkness than light in their hearts, or with more light than darkness or even if you have only one of the two. It is our own choices that define each and every one of us it makes us whom we are. This is the beginning of a new life for you, my young pupil, what choice shall you make to start it?" The old wizard asked.

Nairbix looked out in front of him to see the dark sky and barren landscape that he has grown to love and call home. He then looked behind him to see his mother her castle and her minions all filled with darkness but proved to be home and family to him in his two years living there with them all.

He then looked forward once more and said with determination, "I choose to prove to everyone in every world out there, that darkness can be used for good and not just evil. That darkness can be just as protecting as light and that there is no difference, only that people have misused it to make others think that it is evil."

"That is quite a goal you have. But I think that you shall be the one to prove this to people, it sounds like you have a good dream in mind." Yen Sid chuckled.

"Oh, no, that's not my dream." Nairbix said shaking his head as they stopped at the spot where Yen Sid entered to this world.

"Then what is your dream, Nairbix?" Yen Sid asked turning towards his new apprentice and looking down at him over his beard.

The boy looked up at his Master with a smile and said proudly, "To get married and have a family one day."

"That is an excellent dream, little one." Yen Sid replied with a smile.

He then summoned his own Keyblade, its guard was around the black guard made in the shape of blue wings on each side that turned golden on their tips and where the wings began were circles with yellow stars in the center.

Just below the hilt was yellow for pronged star with a short silver spike in between each groove, connected to that star was a short silver chain that at the end carried a small golden moon. Above the hilt was a similar star but slightly smaller and was blue, the blade was a night blue rod covered with white stars as it rose to the top it curved in two a light violet curve with four short spikes along the outer side, on the inner side of the crescent grove was a large crescent golden moon with a golden star in between the arch of the crescent.

With a wave of it he opened a corridor of light and the two walked through it beginning a brand new adventure together. They then came to The Mysterious Tower where Nairbix was going to begin his new life as a wielder of the Keyblade. As they walked up the winding staircase Yen Sid led Nairbix to his new bedroom which was a very simple accommodation, it had a bed, a book shelf, a desk and window in the shape of a crescent moon showing the permanent night sky over the sea of lava.

"Now rest for tonight, tomorrow we shall begin your training." Yen Sid informed just before closing the door.

Nairbix then put away his things and got under the covers of his bed with his dragon snuggled in his arms as sleep took him. Morning came and Nairbix awoke to find a plate of breakfast on his desk, after he ate, he then looked around to find his Master but instead he found someone else entirely.

A small mouse child wearing a too big red robe with rope tied around his waist as a belt with dark blue shorts underneath with old brown shoes for his large feet. He also wore white gloves for his huge hands, his fur was black and he had a big round head with two big circular ears on top of his head, he had black oval shaped eyes. He was carrying two wooden buckets of water and looked as though he was in a hurry.

"Hello?" Nairbix asked. The mouse turned towards him with a smile.

"Oh, hello, you must be Master's new apprentice. I'm Mickey, his other apprentice." He introduced with a nod seeing how he couldn't shake hands.

"Yep, my name is Nairbix VanSull." He introduced. "Um, do you know where to find the master?" He asked.

"Yep, I'm heading there right now actually." Mickey said. They then began to walk down the hallway until they came into Yen Sid's study with said wizard sitting in his tall wooden chair.

"Good morning, Master." They both said.

"And good morning to you as well, my young apprentices. So it would seem that you two have now met, now we may begin your training."


	6. The Most Rambunctious Princess of Heart!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, anything Disney, or Marvel. I only own Nairbix. In this chapter, you will witness the fated meeting between the living manifestation and embodiment of Narnia's firstborn darkness and the Princess of Heart of Radiant Garden as well as the future Black Widow. If you think about it, her title really worked for her in this series since I made her (think she was) an actual widow. Believe it or not, I had not thought of that when I came up with the idea of using her as Nairbix's wife.**

 **And no, this is not the chapter which explains why I gave her a lightsaber in the previous story and how she can use the Force. That comes later. What's more, I made a reference to a snack for tea-time that was used in the Narnia books that might be wrong. I'm American so I don't know what people in Europe usually eat aside from cakes during tea-time and I don't even like tea so I don't know if people actually eat sardines with toast or not. Sorry.**

 **And for those of you who were just baffled by the whole lightsaber and Force thing which means you didn't read The Vengeful Key, you may want to read it, this story was made to give Nairbix's background story and answer questions intentionally made in the last book. If you have anything to say or ask, PM me and/or leave a review.**

One year had passed since Nairbix's arrival at The Mysterious Tower, in that time he had grown stronger in both magic and strength along with Mickey. Their training consisted of heavy research in magic, harsh physical training, and of course filling buckets with water to wash all of the tower's floors. But no matter how hard the training was, neither student complained as they enjoyed every moment, even when they were pushed so hard that they would pass out during training.

Things in the tower were pretty good for young Nairbix, but only going to worlds on his master's word just didn't feel as though it was enough. He was a free spirit, a free Narnian who couldn't stay cooped up in a single tower on a little patch of land, he needed to see more. Which is what led him to do his next action, leave the tower while his master was away for a week.

As he was leaving his room, Mickey spotted him in the hallway. "Nairbix, what are you doing?" He asked stopping his fellow apprentice in his tracks. Nairbix then slowly turned to face the little mouse with a guilty look. "Nairbix, are you leaving?" Mickey asked not wanting to believe it.

"Well yes-but only for today!" He quickly reassured. "Look Mickey, I need to get out of the tower for a least one day on my own. Don't get me wrong, I love being here and learning with you under Master Yen Sid's tutelage. But I'm a Narnian, a free spirit who can't just stay in a tower until his master says he can leave. You understand, right pal?" Nairbix asked.

At first, Mickey paused for a moment to think of how he should reply, with his arms crossed he gave a heavy sigh and looked at his friend as he gave his answer. "You can't change who you are, if you really need to take a break and get out for a bit, then I won't stop you, pal." Mickey said kindly just before he gave Nairbix a stern warning. "But just for today! I'm not gonna take the fall and blame for you if you get back here after the master gets back from his meeting with the other Keyblade Masters, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, Mickey. I got it." Nairbix playfully reassured as he created a corridor of darkness to take him to whatever world he had chosen to go to, which was in fact a world known as Radiant Garden. However, he had no idea how greatly his life would change from this one day, like several more that would soon come to pass.

As the darkness from the corridor faded, Nairbix gazed at the world in awe. It truly was a world of light and beauty, he could see beautiful fountains and gardens surrounding the homes of the inhabitants of the town off to the side of the massive castle. Nairbix then began to explore the royal gardens after taking in the sight of the courtyard, as he walked through the upper bushes, Nairbix caught eye of what he considered the most breathtaking sight he would ever see.

It was a young girl roughly around his age, she had the most beautiful red curls tied in a ponytail draped over her left shoulder, and she also wore a short sleeve, knee length lime green dress. She was watering her tall rose bushes without a care in the world with an angelic smile on her soft face. As Nairbix gazed at her beauty, he unknowingly slipped down the hill he was on and startled the girl, but not in the way anyone would expect.

When she heard him, she pulled a blaster out of nowhere and fired at the hill with a cold look in her eyes leaving a wide blast spot. She then took a deep breath and inspected the blaster before calling to someone.

"Uncle, the blaster needs maintenance again! I had it on medium but it fired a low powered blast!" She shouted bluntly.

"That was low?!" Nairbix screamed in his mind after the blast barely missed him. He was now at the slope of the hill behind more of the bushes, even though this girl was pure beauty she seemed to be more than just a pretty face. She continued on with watering her roses after tossing the blaster inside the castle, with that being the case, Nairbix made his way to interact with her.

"Um, hello?" He said to her gaining her attention.

"Who are you?" The girl asked with a glare that sent shivers down Nairbix's spine.

"The guy you just shot at." He muttered bluntly looking in another direction causing the girl to glare at him even more.

"What was that?" She asked menacingly.

"Nothing!" Nairbix replied quickly, "As for who I am, my name is Nairbix VanSull, the living manifestation and embodiment of Narnia's firstborn darkness and apprentice to Keyblade Master Yen Sid. Who are you?"

"Radiant Garden's Princess of Heart, Natasha Romanoff." She introduced with a warm smile and an outstretched hand. "Nice to meet you, Nairbix." She said as he gladly shook. "So what exactly are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was tired of being cooped up in my master's tower with nothing to do. With him away for a few days I decided to do a little exploring. I came here and almost got my head taken off by that blaster of yours." Nairbix informed adding a blunt tone to his last sentence earing a sheepish look from Natasha as she scratched the back of her head.

"Sorry about that, I'm a little quick to jump the gun…I guess in this case literally." She admitted as Nairbix chuckled.

"No it's fine, I'm known for being a little eccentric myself." Nairbix replied as they both sat down on the grass.

"Is that so?" Natasha asked with a sly look. "So why don't you tell me more about yourself-in fact why don't we play a little game?"

"A game?" Nairbix asked.

"Yep, I'll ask one question then you answer and then you'll ask me one and then I'll answer, get it?" She asked with a cute smile that Nairbix enjoyed seeing. Little did he know that as the years went by, he would treasure every moment that smile was within his sight for years to come.

"Alright then my first question, you said that you were the living manifestation and embodiment of your home world Narnia's firstborn darkness, what did you mean when you said that?" Natasha asked.

"Exactly as I said, Narnia is the name of my home world. It's fairly new to existence, when a world is first created what is known as the laws of physics aren't completely set. For example, when Narnia was created if anything was planted in its soil like a seed it would grow in a matter of seconds as a tree. Be it a piece of metal from a lamppost or a piece of toffee, in my case because of the darkness brought to Narnia from an evil Queen from another world I was born. I guess Narnia was attempting to sever its darkness while it still could without destroying it entirely." Nairbix explained leaving Natasha speechless.

"Now then my question, I'm not that familiar with what a Princess of Heart is, care to elaborate?" He asked.

"Sure, it's the title given to seven princesses that were born with hearts of pure light. It's passed down to the next firstborn female in the bloodline. Before me, my mother was this world's Princess of Heart and before her it was her grandmother. She only had a son so until my mother was born, my great-grandmother was the princess." She explained.

"Intriguing, I had never heard of anything such as this before." Nairbix said as he started to think of how this came to be.

"Okay, my turn. I mean no offense, but you seem really smart for your age, why's that?" The redhead asked.

"No offense taken. As for my intellect, when I manifested in Narnia, Aslan gave me the same amount of knowledge that a grown man would have. As for who Aslan is, he is the one who created Narnia and all its Narnians, except me of course. He gave this to me because I kept pestering him with simple questions after he gave me my name and gave me the determination to take my first steps."

"Wait-what?" Natasha asked bewildered. "Just how old are you anyway?"

"Well, physically, I have the body of a six year old. Mentally, the mind of a grown man. But technically…I've been alive for a little over three years so…I guess that I'm three and a half years old now." He replied not realizing how strange those sentences sounded.

"You're three?!" Natasha asked in total shock.

"Technically, yes. Okay, I have the same question for you."

"My uncle is incredibly smart, I've looked up to him ever since I can remember. My father died a few years ago so he's been there for me when his brother-in-law-my dad-couldn't. When I was old enough to start learning how to read and write, he began to teach me whatever he could. Since then, I've always been ahead of others in my age group." She replied.

"Okay, so…if you're a manifestation and embodiment of darkness, do you have a heart of pure darkness?" Natasha asked.

"Yes, why is that a problem?" Nairbix asked.

"No, no!" Natasha quickly reassured, "I was just curious!"

"It's okay, it's just that I got a lot of grief because of it back in Narnia." He said dropping his tone. Natasha then did something that Nairbix did not expect, she trudged over to him on her knees and enveloped him in the warmest hug that he had ever received. "What are you doing?"

"Giving you a hug." She replied softly.

"But why?" He asked, the only one who had ever hugged him before was his mother but even she never radiated this type of warmth. She looked at him with the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen and said.

"We're friends, aren't we? You're sad so I'm hugging you to make you feel better."

"You consider me a friend?" He asked.

"My best friend." Natasha replied, and with that, Nairbix returned the hug. "So, how about I give you a personal tour of Radiant Garden? It's got lots of sights to see and maybe later I can show you the castle."

"Great, so how about we check out the town first?" Nairbix asked, Natasha then replied with an egger nod before pulling him by the hand to the town. The sights were exactly as Natasha had told him, breathtaking. The town was filled with homes that radiated the nature found in good folk, smoke gently rose from every chimney with the smell of a humble home's hearth.

"This defiantly has to be one of the best worlds out there." Natasha said with pride over her home.

"To each their own." Nairbix replied not wanting to offend his new friend, and that he still considered Narnia the greatest world of them all with the Moors in second.

"In any case, what do you think of the place?"

"It's a nice town, certainly different from the few worlds I've been to but nice. So what exactly do you guys do around here?" Nairbix asked.

"…Nothing. This is just your average, run off the mill town. I mean, we've got a few interesting residents, but besides that nothing." Natasha explained disappointed in her own answer, as she said this, Nairbix caught a whiff of a smell he knew all too well, magic. The smell was coming from one of the houses near the two friends and it was calling to Nairbix.

"I smell magic." He informed gaining the princess's attention.

"Oh, yeah. One of our residents is wizard who owns a home here, he often pops by from time to time. Nice man, a little scatter-brained with a short temper, but nice."

"Do you think he's home by any chance?"

"Hmm, maybe. If you're smelling his magic then he most likely is. Do you want to stop by? I have no problems with that considering Merlin would most likely invite us in for tea-"

"And sardines?!" Nairbix cut off with hope in his voice.

"Uh, sure…anyway, let's head over there." Natasha suggested after hearing the strange question. "You eat sardines during teatime?" She asked as they walked to the wizard's house.

"…We have them on toast in Narnia…doesn't every world do that at teatime?" He asked slightly embarrassed after getting no response. "Well, I feel sheepish."

"Don't try to act all cute on me, you little sheep because it's not gonna work." Natasha said blushing while holding and shaking her head, Nairbix just shrugged off her odd behavior and reasoned that it was just another human quality he would not understand.

Even though he had the intelligence of the average man, Nairbix was still a male and like all males, he would never understand the opposite sex. Ever.

Once the duo reached the wizard's home, Natasha quickly knocked on the door with her own little rhythm. A moment later, an elderly man with a long white beard wearing an old blue hat and matching robes with glasses opened the door to greet the children.

"Oh, hello, Princess, how are you on this fine day?" Merlin asked cheerfully.

"Excellent, in fact my friend and I came here for a visit." She replied.

"Oh, hello, young man. I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting, my name is Merlin." He introduced with an outstretched hand.

"And I'm Nairbix VanSull, the living manifestation and embodiment of Narnina's firstborn darkness and apprentice to Keyblade Master Yen Sid." Nairbix replied as he shook the gentleman's hand.

"Well, come in, do come in! I was just getting some sardines ready for teatime." Merlin informed, hearing this Natasha's jaw was slightly agape while Nairbix had a triumphant smirk as they entered.

"So you say that you're Yen Sid's apprentice, do you? I hadn't heard that he took on another, how long has he been your master?" Merlin asked as he poured the tea for the children and himself. As he poured it, an enchanted sugar cup marched over with a spoon and began to fill the tea with sugar. "Just say, when." Merlin advised.

"When." Nairbix said after two scoops. "Several months, how is it that you know my master?"

"Oh, we wizards and sorcerers are closer than most would think, and I've known Yen Sid since we were lads. Always getting into trouble, that one. His master was always so furious with him after it was all said and done." Merlin chuckled as nostalgia took him

"As opposed to the stern and proper old man he is now." Nairbix thought bluntly to himself as he ate his anchovy covered toast.

"Now I don't mean to be rude, but why is it that you and your new friend have come to visit me, Princess?" The wizard asked.

"Well, I was giving Nairbix a tour of the town and he sensed the magic coming from your home. Since he seemed so interested in it, I suggested that we pop by. Sorry if we're being an inconvenience." Natasha said sheepishly.

"Not at all, not at all. In fact, I can demonstrate my magic for the two of you, if you'd like?" Merlin asked receiving nods from both of the children. He then pulled out a crystal ball and set it at the center of the table after making the tea set march off. As he began to concentrate his magic, the lighting of the room began to dim. Magic filled the air in wonder as the crystal ball's insides began to glow swirl, soon Merlin began to describe what he saw.

"The mists are clearing, the future is becoming more and more visible to see. What would you wish to see, children?"

"The future regarding the two of us, what will our friendship be like in the future?" Natasha asked before Nairbix could even think of his question.

"I see…an everlasting friendship through times of joy, war, anguish, heartache, and…love." Merlin described, however the last detail caused the two friends' faces to turn as red as Natasha's hair.

"Well…" Nairbix began adding to the awkward tension, "Thank you for the tea, and the fortune telling…but I think we ought to go, right Natasha?"

"Yes!" She said louder than she originally meant. "Yes, we ought to. Thank you, Merlin-have a nice day." And with that the two friends rushed out the door eager to forget the embarrassing conversation. As they rushed out, Merlin watched them while chuckling at their reactions.

"Oh, you don't really need to see the future to know that those two were simply made for each other. They'll defiantly face many hardships in the years to pass, but the love between them that's already begun to grow will certainly last. Now and for always." He said chuckling while the cup over flowed his tea with sugar. "Oh, when, when, when!" He shouted hotly.

As the day passed on, Nairbix and Natasha's friendship continued to grow, they passed the time with chasing each other, swimming and all around goofing off. It truly was a wonderful day, but all days come to an end once he sun starts to set. The two friends were ready to part ways in the very same place where they met, and unbeknown to the other, a certain emotion was blooming for each other in their hearts.

"Thanks for everything, Natasha. I'm really glad I got to meet you and today was beyond amazing." Nairbix said as he gave the princess a warm and friendly hug.

"Me too, maybe we can do this again sometime?" She asked hopefully, but before Nairbix could answer, a man in his early thirties walked out from the entrance door to the gardens. He had long platinum hair, orange eyes, and a faint beard growing on his face. He was dressed in a long white coat and wore a crimson scarf around his neck.

"Natasha, it's time to come in, dear-oh, hello there." The man said to Nairbix once he noticed him. "Um, Natasha…who is this?"

"Oh, Uncle, this is my new friend. Nairbix, meet my Uncle, Ansem. Uncle, this is Nairbix VanSull. We met this morning and we've spent the day together hanging out. He was just about to leave, actually."

"Oh, alright then. But would you like to join us for dinner, I'm sure that you must be getting hungry given how late it is." Ansem offered.

"I'd love to, but I really should be getting back."

"Very well then, say goodbye, Natasha, your mother says it's time to eat." And with that, the man who would eventually cause so much pain to the boy once he became a man left.

"Well…bye, Nairbix." Natasha said as she began to skip to the door, but then she stopped just a few paces from the door. "Woops, I almost forgot." She said to herself before rushing back to her friend, and what she did next greatly shocked the young darkness embodiment. She planted a soft peck on his cheek and ran straight inside her castle.

Nairbix was left in the garden dumbstruck, or to be more precise, love-struck. All he could do was place his hand on his cheek as though it would keep the feeling of the kiss forever on his face. Unfortunately, the thought of a beautiful girl was replaced with the thought of an old man who could greatly punish him if angry came to mind.

So, Nairbix then created a corridor to send him back to the tower. Once he arrived, he came to see the sight that he was dreading to see all day. His master angry and glaring at him.

"Did you really think that I wouldn't have some way of making sure that you two stayed here for whenever I leave?" Yen Sid asked his now sheepish student.

"Not anymore." Nairbix grumbled knowing well enough what was to come next. Yen Sid then snapped his fingers which caused two wooden buckets to appear in Nairbix's hands, he said nothing as he glared and pointed at the door which led to the well filled with water.

Nairbix just walked towards it as his master went to his bedroom for the night leaving his magical hat on his desk. Nairbix stared at it for a moment as a thought began to come to his mind.

"Nah!" He said to himself before he left to fill the buckets.

 **Just to let you guys know, that was a reference to Fantasia's The Sorcerer's Apprentice which introduced Yen Sid and the magic walking brooms.**


	7. The Begininng of the Brotherhood

**In this chapter, multiple questions from The Vengeful Key will be answered as well as the introduction to several characters you already know. Enjoy and I still don't own anything Disney or Kingdom Hearts.**

Several weeks had passed after Nairbix had befriended Natasha, after countless hours of fetching water and cleaning the tower, Nairbix was eager for a new assignment from his master. Thankfully, that was just about to happen for himself and Mickey.

"You summoned us, Master?" Mickey asked as both he and Nairbix stood before Yen Sid at his desk.

"Indeed, today I have an assignment for you, my students. There is a world that has caught my interest, I would like the both of you to do a reconnaissance mission for me. Observe the world for today, take as much time as you need. But I would like for you to bring back at least one creature or plant for me to examine. Return to the tower within the next thirty-six hours."

"Yes, Master." They both replied, Yen Sid then waved his hand and created a corridor of light for his students to travel through. After they had walked through the corridor, Nairbix and Mickey found themselves looking at the new world. It was riddled with tall trees and plants of so many colors and sizes, the calls of so many animals and creatures filled the air and the ears of the two apprentices.

"So, this is the world that the master is interested in, huh?" Nairbix asked rhetorically.

"What should we do first, find an animal to bring back or examine the place?" Mickey asked.

"Hmm, I say we look around for a while then we look for something to bring back for Master Yen Sid."

"Good idea. I wonder what this world is called, anyway."

"Don't know, don't care. Come on, I want to get out of this place as soon as possible."

"I thought you loved worlds like this, Nairbix?" Mickey asked.

"Woodland and forest type worlds, Mickey. I mean, I think this place has its own sense of beauty and all, but I'm not so into jungle terrain." Nairbix replied. For the next several hours, the two students became familiar with the world's plant life and landscape. However, they found no signs of life which was ironic considering that the air was filled with the cries and calls of the native creatures that were supposedly surrounding them.

"I just don't understand it." Mickey thought out loud, "We've been searching for hours and following the noises and we still haven't found any trace of a single animal."

"What is it that we're missing?" Nairbix asked under his breath. Before either of them did anything else, the bushes next to them began to rustle. They each readied their Keyblades and prepared to strike and hopefully capture whatever was coming their way. However, neither of them were prepared for what came next. A large chubby creature wearing a small white buttoned lab coat rolling towards them and knocking them both over the ledge causing them to roll down the hill.

After the three stopped rolling, Nairbix was the first to speak. "What in the name of the great golden mane of the lion was that?!" He groaned as he clutched his head in pain while Mickey and the newcomer whined in pain.

"Oh, I am so being the sorry for that." This came from the one that had caused them to roll down the hill. As said before, he was wearing a white buttoned lab coat. Also, he was in a word, plump. Every part of his body was pudgy, his skin tone was what could be considered "dirty plum purple" and "dirty peach". His most bizarre feature, however, was that he had four eyes!

"Its fine," Nairbix waved off, "Are you okay, though?" He asked.

"Yes, yes, again, so sorry about that. I am Jumba, Jumba Jookeba, evil genius prodigy." Jumba introduced in his cracked high voice.

"Nice to meet you, Jumba. My name is Nairbix VanSull."

"And I'm Mickey, the Sorcerer's Apprentice. If you don't mind me asking, Jumba, what are you doing here?"

"There is a creature in this jungle that Jumba is searching for. I want to extract a sample of its DNA for my experimentation." Jumba replied with a wicked chuckle.

"Experimentation?" The two apprentices asked.

"Oh, yes. I preform evil genetic experimentation by crossing multiple sources of DNA in order to create a completely new creature, haha!" Jumba laughed evilly. Nairbix and Mickey looked at each other with the same thought in mind and gave each other a quick nod and looked back at Jumba.

"You know, Jumba," Nairbix began slyly, "We're actually looking for an animal from this place too. So…why don't we work together to find it? We need to bring something back to our master, and you need a sample of it; so why not?"

For a moment, Jumba thought this idea over. He then made his decision, "Very well then, this may work in order to catch the creature."

"Yeah, and at the very least we can help you out if we can't catch the creature for ourselves. If that happens then we can always look for something else." Mickey provided, but Jumba grew a confused look on his face after he heard this.

"You two don't know, do you?" He asked.

"Know what?" Nairbix asked.

"The creature that Jumba is searching for is the only living being that lives in this world. If you two are not to be capturing the beast, then you will have nothing at all." Jumba replied.

This proved to make things difficult for Nairbix and Mickey. One single creature was capable of making multiple calls and sounds that sounded completely different from the rest, and they were no closer to finding it now than they were when they first arrived.

"Well, that's just great." Nairbix said with sarcasm.

"Jumba, you seem to know quite a bit about this thing, what can you tell us about it?" Mickey asked their chubby new friend.

"It is a very elusive creature. If not for an evil genius prodigy mind like my own, Jumba might have never come across it." He then pulled out multiple sheets of paper from his lab coat, each one filled with information regarding their target.

"You can do the throwing out idea of following footprints, this beast doesn't leave any."

"So what then, it's airborne or aquatic?" Nairbix asked, but Jumba shook his head.

"No, it's a land creature. But it has the body of a giant white slug, however it leaves no traces of slime." He replied.

"How are we going to track it then?" Mickey asked.

"Allow Jumba to ask this question first. Have the two of you been following the calls it makes as they be growing louder?"

"Yeah."

"That's right."

"Ironically, you would be wanting to be doing the opposite." Jumba explained surprising the two.

"Huh?!" They both asked.

"It's makes soft sounds that grow louder through echoing throughout the jungle. The softer the sound of a noise it makes, the closer we are to it. Because of this, Jumba has dubbed it The Soft Throat."

"So aside from it having the body of a giant white slug, what other features does The Soft Throat have that we should know about?" Nairbix asked, this is where Jumba gave a negative sigh.

"Unfortunately, it has a total of seven eyes. Two of which, are located on its face, but the remaining five are eyestalks located from the back of its head to its back. Given its body and size, The Soft Throat cannot turn around to avoid us." Jumba said.

"But that's good, right?" Mickey asked.

"Not exactly. Once it spots us, it will bulk itself up as a means to harden its skin and toughen its body. Jumba found this out the hard way when I did the first attempt at taking a blood sample." Jumba admitted to his shame.

"So basically, this thing has no blind spot and we can't puncture it without killing it." Nairbix said with a huff, but then an idea popped into his mind. "Wait, Jumba you said that only its body will bulk up and harden, right?"

"Yes, I did."

"And you can extract DNA from any part of its body, can't you?"

"Of course."

"What are you getting at, Nairbix?" Mickey asked.

"Why don't we try and take one of its eyes?" He asked slightly demented.

"An eye?!" Mickey squeaked.

"Why not? Jumba can get his sample and while it's distracted by the pain, we can capture it. It's a win-win situation."

"And, I happen to be having a device that can shrink it down, so it really is a win-win situation." Jumba agreed. Seeing as he was outnumbered, Mickey agreed as well. "Excellent, now then, I have these to give you two." Jumba said as he held out his meaty hands, in each one there was on earpiece to help communicate with each other.

"Thanks, Jumba, you're the best." Mickey said to the evil genius prodigy.

"I am?" He asked.

"Yep, you may consider yourself evil, but with what you've done, you're awesome!" Nairbix exclaimed.

"You think so?" Jumba asked again.

"Of course, we're friends, aren't we?" Nairbix asked as he gave Jumba a big toothy grin. After coming over his shock from seeing the two apprentices being so nice to him, Jumba happily nodded.

Later that day, after formulating a plan to confront The Soft Throat and following the soft sounds of its calls. Nairbix and Mickey waited for it to cross their path as they were up in the trees while Jumba was waiting to intercept it with his shrink ray.

Sure enough, after patiently waiting, The Soft Throat came their way as it bulldozed the trees and plants in its path. It looked exactly like Jumba said, it had the body of a massive white slug with five long eyestalks on its back. However, they also spotted other physical features that Jumba either forgot to mention or did not know about. For starters, the beast's back flesh seemed to glow and change different colors, also, The Soft Throat's mouth was enormous, it looked as though it could swallow someone's home.

"Jumba," Nairbix said as he spoke through the earpiece, "You may have forgotten to tell us about the size of The Soft Throat's mouth!"

"…I did?" Jumba asked as though he thought he had. Mickey and Nairbix just smacked their foreheads after they heard this. After realizing that this would be slightly more difficult than they thought, Nairbix and Mickey readied themselves to attack with their Keyblades in their hands.

As The Soft Throat slunk its way over to them, the apprentices leapt down to land on its back fully prepared to leave with an eye. Once they made contact with the slug's back, the eyestalks sharply glared at the two of them, and they did not seem pleased.

"What should we do know, Nairbix?" Mickey asked with his voice trembling, however, Nairbix did not seem fazed by the harsh glares. Without saying a word, he grabbed one of the nearest eyestalks and ripped it from The Soft Throat's back causing it to screech and squirm. He then reached into the stalk's socket and ripped out the eye.

"That." He replied bluntly. "Okay, Jumba, we've got an eye and The Soft Throat's heading your way, be ready with the shrink ray, please." He said to the earpiece, but there was no reply. "Jumba? Jumba, do you copy?"

"I be copying." Jumba replied but not from the earpiece. Instead, he was jogging at the side of the throat with an open jar in his arms. "Just drop it, Jumba will catch it."

"But you're supposed to be with the shrink ray!" Mickey exclaimed.

"I have set it to activate once the throat trips the rigging. Give me the eye and jump off before you are becoming the small and tiny!" Nairbix looked to Mickey who reluctantly nodded, he then tossed Jumba the eye which landed in the jar. Jumba then closed the jar and dove into the bushes, and before Mickey and Nairbix could get off of The Soft Throat, something strange happened.

Each of the remaining eyestalks retracted into the back of the throat leaving behind black holes for each one. All of a sudden, The Soft Throat stopped moving. It then began to tremble and growl, every part of the throat's body began to bubble and bulge. Only one thought occurred to the two young Keyblade wielders. Transformation.

They then jumped off of the creature's back and landed safely on the ground, with an agonizing cry of pain, The Soft Throat began to transform.

While the throat began to float in the air, flesh and skin began to emerge from the holes left from where the eyestalks were as the original body began to turn inside out. Once The Soft Throat finished its transformation, Mickey and Nairbix gazed in fear upon its new body. It was now a giant, white, muscular sabretooth tiger with long black horns, black dragon-like hands, and a black underbelly. It somehow became even larger than when it was in its slug form, and somehow, the air grew colder from the beast's presence.

"I think I like its first form a bit more than this one." Mickey said bluntly as Nairbix nodded his head fearfully. Not a moment later, the throat raised its massive hand and attempted to swat away the two apprentices, however, it missed thanks to the duo's speed and agility.

"What do we do now, Mickey?" Nairbix asked once they were in the trees.

"Our best bet is to defeat it. I think the master might not get to study this thing, after all."

"Well, if we don't make it off of this world alive, then he can make his next apprentices go after it." Nairbix replied bluntly before The Soft Throat tore down the trees with its tail.

As this was going on, both students had only one thought in mind. "Where is Jumba?!"

To answer that, Jumba was running through the jungle with the jar containing the eyestalk in his pudgy arms. He then came across a clearing that had a space ship in the center, at the base of the ship, was an abnormally large white gerbil wearing a red cape held by a large golden H.

"Well, it's about time you showed your pudgily pudgy face here. I've been waiting all day for you to return!" The gerbil shouted in a cracked snooty voice while Jumba tried to catch his breath.

"When you actually decide to be putting in effort on job, Hamsterviel, then you may commence with the mocking of me, you pathetic gerbil!" Jumba retorted hotly.

"HAMSTER! I am a hamster!" Hamsterviel shouted in anger. As he was gathering their supplies, he began to speak to Jumba with a more level head. "By the way, what took you so long? You're usually faster when it comes to collecting DNA samples, Jumba."

Jumba paused for a moment as guilt took in. "I did the meeting of other peoples and made friends, nothing else." He dismissed as he heard the sound of the battle in the distance.

Hamsterviel was able to put the pieces together fairly quickly and realized why his partner wasn't acting like himself.

"You mean, the ones fighting The Soft Throat?!" He shouted.

"Yes." Jumba answered knowing where this was going. Sure enough, Hamsterviel began to kick Jumba's leg in a fit of anger; even though it didn't hurt in the slightest.

"You incompetent, dundering dunderhead! You are not to interact with anyone, local or otherwise!" The gerbil claiming to be a hamster ranted.

"If it hadn't been for them, I would never have gotten us the throat's eyestalk." Jumba defended.

"Do you honestly think that I care, you foolish foolhardy fool?! The answer, NO!" But Jumba wasn't listening, he was more focused on the sounds of battle in the distance and how he up and left his new friends. After finally coming to a decision, Jumba rummaged through one of the crates and pulled out a child size yellow and red blaster with a determined look on his face.

"And where do you think you are going, you oafish oaf?" Hamsterviel asked as he gave his partner his signature glare.

"I am off to be helping friends." Jumba replied with gusto, "You can come along to provide help, my genetically confused rodent frenemy." He offered, but he was give the stubborn reply, "Pft!" before returning to the jungle.

As the previous event passed, both Nairbix and Mickey were struggling to keep the throat from mutilating them. Due to the beast's massive form, all of the surrounding trees were leveled to the ground providing no cover for the two apprentices, this however did nothing to stop them from fighting though.

"Friends!" Jumba shouted as he waved his flabby arm at them.

"Jumba!" Mickey cheered merrily.

"Look out!" Nairbix shouted as the throat readied its claw to strike the evil genius prodigy, however, the living manifestation was able to shove his friends out of the way just in time. But The Soft Throat wasn't finished with them just yet, not by a long shot.

With a deep breath, the beast unleashed a blast concentrated ice rendering the landscape a frozen wasteland, thankfully, the trio of friends avoided the blast. The Soft Throat proved to be a formidable foe for the trio due to that hardly any of their attacks seemed to effect it let alone injure it. Where it couldn't attack with its body, it attacked with its powers over ice, if not for his reflexes, Nairbix would've been frozen by the blast that created a glacier behind him.

"Nairbix, get ready!" Mickey shouted as Jumba fired his blaster at the throat. Nairbix quickly caught on and readied himself for what he and Mickey were about to do.

"Light/darkness, give me power!" They both shouted as a sphere of transparent darkness surrounded Nairbix and one of light surrounded Mickey as they floated in the air and held hands. They then pointed their Keyblades out in front of them and emitted showers of both light and darkness as they spun in the air. Thankfully, this seemed to cause a great deal of damage to The Soft Throat. But the fight wasn't over just yet.

While the throat was still in a daze, Jumba and Nairbix readied their own attack. Jumba managed to pull out another blaster as Nairbix stood next to him, like a bowling ball, Nairbix rolled Jumba as he began to fire his weapons wildly. The attack became even more effective once Nairbix managed to bounce Jumba up into the air with the help of Mickey knocking him around as though he were a ball. With their opponent weakened, Jumba set both of his blasters on high while Nairbix and Mickey coated their Keyblades in both light and darkness that once they made contact, The Soft Throat would be at the end of a devastating blast.

Sure enough, once they all unleashed their attacks, the outcome was correct. After the cloud of snow settled, everything seemed as though there was nothing to worry about and that victory was theirs, but those thoughts were quickly dashed as The Soft Throat with incredible speed pounced Nairbix.

His body was being crushed against the glacier by the throat's claw. It was viciously snarling in his face with rage as it tightened its grip, Mickey and Jumba tried to call out to their dear friend, but their words fell deaf to his ears as the sound of his own blood drowned them out.

But if by pure determination, Nairbix was able to summon his Keyblade. From the cracks between the monster's fingers, a beam of bright, black, and purple darkness struck The Soft Throat's heart. The next events were even more unbelievable than anything that any of the three friends had seen that day. The black and purple darkness began to engulf the beast like a net as it floated in the air. The Soft Throat roared in protest as the net of darkness began to return to Heartbreaker, as it was nearing the end of its capture, the throat made an attempt to grab for something; but it was all for not as its arm and claws were absorbed into the tip of the Keyblade.

Jumba and Mickey looked at Nairbix with unreadable expressions as Nairbix did the same only at his Keyblade. He then looked at the others and finally said something to them.

"Okay, even I didn't know it could do that." He said bluntly.

After hearing this, they were all silent, but after taking in Nairbix's words, they began to laugh. It was the sort of laughter that could only come out when the truest of friends were together, and sure enough, these three miscreants were the truest of friends. In case this whole ordeal wasn't clear enough, this was the beginning of a friendship that would last for a lifetime. Their brotherhood would begin much later though. Once they had finished laughing, Nairbix and Mickey joined Jumba on his way to his ship.

"So this is your ship, huh?" Nairbix asked once they reached their destination.

"Indeed, this is being the part where we part ways, my friends." Jumba replied. They all exchanged hugs just before Jumba entered his ship, however, they could hear the annoying rants of Hamsterviel as the ship was taking off.

"You ought to learn to be quicker when it comes fighting, you oafish dimwit!" Hamsterviel nagged.

"Jumba can't understand you, I only hear the annoying squeaks of a gerbil." He replied in a sing-song voice.

"HAMSTER! I am a hamster!" He shouted as the ship took off.

Once that was all said and done, the young wielders of the Keyblade returned to The Mysterious Tower to show their master what they had brought back to show.

"Welcome back, my young pupils." Yen Sid greeted inside his study. "I trust that you were successful in your assignment?"

"Yes, Master, we were." Mickey replied proudly.

"Well, then, where is the creature that you have brought?"

"In here." Nairbix answered as he held his Keyblade. Yen Sid then rose from his seat and closely examined his student's weapon.

"Fascinating, so it would seem that your Keyblade has some sort of…containment ability. Nairbix, how long have you possessed this ability?" Yen Sid asked, Nairbix simply shrugged his shoulders before he replied.

"I don't know. It was the first time that I had ever seen this technique, I wouldn't be able to tell you how it works, Master." He admitted.

"Well then, we'll just need to see how it works for ourselves, now won't we?" He asked before making his way outside with his students behind him. Once they were in the larger part of the land surrounding the tower, Nairbix attempted to summon The Soft Throat. Surprisingly, it only took him the one try in order to release it. Both of the apprentices were slightly nervous at seeing the beast that nearly killed them earlier that day, but Yen Sid did not seem fazed by it.

The next thing that the throat did surprised them all, The Soft Throat was bowing in respect to Nairbix! Then, all of a sudden, Nairbix's mind was filled with information regarding his newly discovered technique, one word then escaped his lips after fully knew what this new power could do.

"Fealty."

"What was that?" Mickey asked after hearing his pal mutter the word.

"The name of this technique is called, Fealty. It allows me to capture creatures of a certain kind and contain them inside Heartbreaker. From then on, all that are absorbed become extremely loyal to me and have the highest respect and admiration." After he finished his explanation, the throat gently nuzzled its face against Nairbix's gaining a warm smile from his new master.

"You're a strange little one, Nairbix, and you are full of surprises." Yen Sid said to his student as he was returning The Soft Throat to his Keyblade.

"Thank you." Nairbix replied as he beamed with pride. Yen Sid chuckled and led his students back to the tower in order to receive their well-earned rest.

"Master," Yen Sid thought to himself as they were walking, "I believe I have found your successor."


	8. Halloweentown (The other one)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or anything Disney. This chapter holds a great significance regarding the previous story. You'll find out why towards the end of the chapter. Hope you like it.**

Fourteen months had passed since Nairbix and Mickey met Jumba and faced The Soft Throat. At often times, Jumba would come and visit to see his friends when their master allowed it. But when it wasn't their pudgy friend, it was often Nairbix's mother coming to check on her son. It was a relief for the boy since he was worried for his mother after what they had done to the infant princess of the king who had betrayed the fallen fairy.

Nevertheless, he was always happy to feel the warmth and love of his mother, Nairbix was also just as happy for whenever he was able to go and see Natasha, with his master's permission of course.

But aside from that, today was a promising moment for the young manifestation and embodiment's training. While he was studying magic in his room, Nairbix pulled his eyes from the book he was reading to see his master looking fondly at him from the doorframe.

"I see that you're enjoying your studying, Nairbix." He said as he entered the room.

"Actually, Master, I'm just rereading this one."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes. It's my favorite one, the spells and incantations just seem to flow into me as I read." Nairbix said in wonder causing his teacher to chuckle.

"Then it is a good thing that I have come here. I have a surprise for you, Nairbix."

"What is it, Master?"

"Well, since you have already mastered every spell that I have for you at your current level, I have contacted an old friend of mine and she has agreed to help further your training in magic." Yen Sid explained.

"Really, wait, would Mickey be coming with me?" He asked.

"No, as talented as Mickey is with both magic and the Keyblade, he is not quite ready for the type of magic that you will be working with, should you accept." The old man replied. "Don't worry though, I have already informed Mickey about this to make sure he would not take this the wrong way. He said that it doesn't bother him and that he was quite proud and happy for you to see your training come so far in just a short amount of time."

"Oh, good. That's a relief." Nairbix said exhaling deeply. Even though he was proud of his own skills, Nairbix often worried that it seemed like he was intentionally trying to leave Mickey behind when it came to training. "When would I be leaving?"

"As soon as you are ready." His master replied, once Nairbix was ready, Yen Sid summoned a Corridor of Light to take them to their destination. After the light had cleared and his eyes adjusted, Nairbix saw a cozy home behind a large iron gate with two halves of a large frog on both sides. The surrounding area was covered with fallen red, yellow and brown leaves.

As they were walking to the front door, Nairbix was sensing great magic from inside. Yen Sid then knocked on the door and waited for the owner to open up. A moment later, an elderly woman with a warm smile and faded, curly blonde hair opened up and happily greeted the two wielders of the Keyblade.

"Ah, Yen Sid!" She exclaimed merrily, "Come in, do come in!"

"Thank you, Aggie, it's good to see you again." Yen Sid replied as they exchanged friendly hugs.

"And who is this handsome young man you've brought with you?" Aggie asked once she spotted Nairbix, the way she said it was as though she was the boy's grandmother.

"This is my student, why don't you introduce yourself?" Yen Sid asked.

"Hello, ma'am, my name is Nairbix VanSull, the living manifestation and embodiment of Narnia's firstborn darkness and apprentice to Keyblade Master Yen Sid." He said with a slight bow that seemed to amuse the woman.

"Well, Nairbix, my name is Aggie Cromwell. Welcome to Halloweentown."

"Now, Nairbix, Aggie will be supervising your training here until you have learned all you can from her. Treat her with the same respect that you show me, understood?" Yen Sid asked his student.

"Of course, Master." Nairbix said with a respectful nod, and with that, Yen Sid left.

"Now then, dear," Aggie began, "Yen Sid tells me that you're quite skilled in magic, correct?"

"Yep, but is your magic that different from his?"

"Well, magic comes in all sorts forms and ways, mine just happens to involve more incantations and items than the type you're used to." She replied, she then walked over into the kitchen and prepared a large black caldron. "Are you familiar with working caldrons, dear?" Aggie asked sweetly.

"I've had some experience. What is it you're working on?" Nairbix asked.

"Well, as of lately, there have been some disappearances here in Halloweentown. What is causing them, I don't know. But just as a precaution, I've decided to ready an old defense for Halloweentown just in case whatever might be causing all this, is something of a bit more darker nature." She then grabbed a large multi colored handbag and plopped it on the counter. After rummaging through her bag, Aggie pulled out a long black box and presented it to her new student.

"This is the Talisman of Merlin." She said as she revealed a small silver rod with a claw clutching a foggy white orb. "It has been passed down the Cromwell family for centuries since the time of my father."

"Your father…wait was your father Merlin?" Nairbix as he remembered his encounter with the old wizard.

"No, Marvin, Merlin's cousin." She replied bluntly. "Anyway, while I am going to train you, I will also need your help for when I'm ready to prepare the potion which powers the Talisman. But, until then, we'll be hitting the book, so to speak."

"Book?" Nairbix asked while Aggie dug through her bag again, "As in singular?"

"Of course, I'm not like Yen Sid as to keep you locked up all day with mountains of books." She said through her grandmotherly laughter as she slammed a large spell book on the table in front of Nairbix. "Just the one monstrous book."

Thankfully it only took Nairbix a day to read through and make excellent progress with all of the spells in the spell book much to Aggie's amazement. The next day was sure to be more exciting for the two of them though.

"Nairbix!" Aggie called through the house, "Are you ready, dear?"

"Yes, Aggie, sorry I took so long, I was just thinking about the spells that I read."

"That's alright, dear. Now let's head on to town." She said cheerfully.

"Aggie?" He asked as the made their way outside.

"Hm, yes?"

"Why is it that you only visit your family only on Halloween?"

"Well, due to the fact that mortals-or more precise, humans are easily quick to jump the gun at things they don't understand, we who live here in Halloweentown agreed that in order to protect ourselves, we should only ever leave for the mortal world on the day that humans imitate us. Mortal see, mortal do." She explained merrily.

"Now, typically, we take the bus that is able to transport us to the mortal world, but for warlocks and witches like myself, we can open the original portal to travel."

"So why not use that instead?" Nairbix asked.

"Oh, because if you take the bus then you'll be able to interact with all of those who like to travel on that wonderful day." Aggie said in her happy tone. Once they were on the other side of the gate, Aggie whistled and shouted, "Taxi!"

Not a moment later, a heavily decorated yellow taxi cab pulled up in front of them, but the driver was no more than a talking skeleton!

"Morning, Aggie!" The skeleton said as happily as Aggie would.

"Morning, Bennie." She chuckled.

"Oh, I see that you've brought more than that stubborn bag of yours this time. But then again, I don't have any eyeballs to see with, haha!" Bennie joked once he "spotted" Nairbix.

"Yes indeed, Bennie, this is Mr. Nairbix VanSull. I've been teaching him magic the only way a Cromwell can." Aggie explained joyfully.

"Well then, Mr. VanSull, enjoy your stay here in Halloweentown. Come on, hop in, I'll give you two a lift to town." As they were all enjoying to ride through town, Bennie entertained them with his classic jokes.

"Hey, Nairbix, what do you call a skeleton musician?" He asked.

"A natural bone singer." Nairbix said before Bennie could answer his own joke.

"A natural bone-…hey, that's right. Okay, here's another one. What did the skeleton say to the witch?"

"You were bone to be wicked." Nairbix said yet again beating Bennie to the punchline.

"Got me again, huh? You're pretty quick, kid." He said as Nairbix simply shrugged.

"Your jokes are good, Bennie. But they're a bit predictable."

"I guess, and thanks. You know what, kid? I think I like you already. A little thing about comedy though, always stay fresh. That's why I never use the same joke twice, never, I just won't do it." He said as they pulled up to the curb. "Well, here we are, Halloweentown square, have a nice day, you two."

"Thank you, Bennie." Aggie said cheerfully.

"Hey, Bennie." Nairbix said just before the skeleton drove off.

"Yeah, kid?" He asked.

"Just for the record, I think your jokes are comedy bone."

"HA! Comedy bone, that's a good one, kid! I'll have to remember that one, haha!" Bennie said as began to drive away filling the air with his laughter. As soon as they took in the fall and humorously spooky layout of the town, Aggie and Nairbix were fully ready to get on, that is until an obnoxious voice stopped them.

"Well, well, well. Lookie what we have here, old Aggie Cromwell gracing us with her presence." The voice belonged to a redhead teenager who seemed to be full of himself.

"Actually, Luke, we were just about to leave." Aggie informed with a small trace of annoyance in her voice.

"Sure, who's the kid? Thought all your grandkids were living it up in the mortal world?" He asked while attempting to get underneath their skins.

"He is not my grandchild, he is my student, Nairbix VanSull. And I would prefer that you not mock only him, but my family as well." She said sternly.

"Or what? It's not my fault that your daughter resents you and decided to get with a human." Luke taunted, before Aggie could continue the discussion, Nairbix walked in front of Luke and pulled on his jacket.

"Excuse me, mister." He said with a fake innocent voice. Luke looked down at him and said, "What, kid?"

"Could you do something for me?"

"What?" As he asked this, Nairbix turned his left hand and pressed his fingertips into the punk's stomach before saying bitterly, "Take a nap, you arrogant chowder head." And with that, he sent a quick but powerful punch that sent Luke flying into several haystacks about fourteen feet away.

"Nairbix!?" Aggie exclaimed in shock after seeing her student do such a thing.

"What? Oh, come on. It's not like anyone's going to believe him when he says that a seven year old did that to him." He said earning another set of chuckles from the witch.

"Well, hello, hello, hello." A man greeted wearing a suit and top hat said to the duo from behind as he twirled his cane cheerfully.

"Oh, Kalabar, so nice to see you." Aggie greeted.

"And you as well, Aggie." He replied, he then took a glance at Nairbix and bent down to his level. "Well, it looks to me like I've found someone new to greet today."

"Oh, yes, Kalabar, this is my new student, Nairbix. I'm doing an old friend of mine a favor and helping the boy learn magic." Aggie explained.

"Well isn't that something, to learn from Halloweentown's very own Cromwell witch herself." Kalabar said not taking his eyes off of Nairbix.

"It was a surprise for me too, but a pleasant one nonetheless." Nairbix replied.

"Well, I'd best be getting back to work, enjoy your day, and Nairbix, enjoy your stay here in Halloweentown." And with a tip of his hat, Kalabar left as quickly as he came.

"Aggie, who was that?" Nairbix asked as he watched the man walk off.

"Oh, that was Kalabar the mayor of Halloweentown. He also happens to be an old flame of my daughter, Gwen." She replied as they continued their way into town.

"So what exactly are we in town for?" Nairbix asked after they entered what seemed to be a convince store while Aggie was scanning the shelves.

"Well, in order to power the talisman, I need to make a concoction known as Witch's Brew."

"Witch's Brew?"

"Yes." Aggie replied, "Now, normally I would try and make it from scratch myself, but seeing as there have been several disappearances already, I'm forced to do things the faster way and use the instant brand, much to my disliking." After her explanation, the merry witch found what she was looking for. "Ah, here it is!"

"That's it?" Nairbix asked as he looked at the small box unsure if it would really solve the problem at hand.

"This is it. Come on, let's go pay for it and prepare the caldron. By the time its ready we'll be back."

"Back, what are we going somewhere?" He asked as they paid and left the store.

"Oh, dear me, I forgot to tell you, didn't I?" Aggie asked. "Well, you see, Nairbix, in three days it'll be Halloween. I'll be popping by to see my daughter and grandchildren. You'll be coming along, of course. I'm sure my grandchildren will be happy to meet you."

"Hm, okay, you're the teacher. But I thought that you said, that your daughter was anti-magic?" He asked.

"Oh, she is, but thankfully she's not too wrapped up in her "perfectly normal" life as to deny me the chance to not only visit her but the children as well. I love my daughter to death, but ever since she met her late husband she has been obsessed with trying to lead a life only the mortal world can provide. Even if it means denying her children their own choices in worlds."

"What do you mean?"

"You see, when a witch or warlock faces their thirteenth Halloween, if they haven't begun their training by midnight, then they will lose their powers forever." Aggie said shocking her young student. "Marnie, my oldest granddaughter, will reach her thirteenth Halloween next week and if I can't convince her stubborn mother to allow me or at the very least herself to begin Marnie's training, then the magical bloodline of the Cromwells will end with a Cromwell who refuses to even acknowledge her heritage and deny her children such a life."

"Talk about your average family issues." Nairbix said to himself.

"I guess it's a good thing that I'm learning under your tutelage, if that's not too bold to say." Nairbix said hopping that what he said didn't come out insensitive.

"Oh, not at all, dear. As I said, I love Gwen as stubborn as she is and I'm happy to be teaching you, even if it's just for these few days." Aggie reassured surprising Nairbix with her last statement.

"Say what now?" He asked bewildered.

"From what I have seen, you've mastered all of the spells in my spell book, and have more than enough talent to preform them without my help. Since you've already mastered the spells that Yen Sid has shown you so far, the magic I've taught you will not only amplify what you already know, but allow you to unlock spells and techniques that would be near impossible for you to preform without it." She said proudly.

"All I did was read the book the one time!" He stressed.

"Yes, but as you were reading and working each spell inside your head," Aggie began as she gently tapped the boy's head, "I could sense your magic growing so quickly, that with a little more experience, you may even surpass me soon." She then continued to walk while Nairbix stood where he was in disbelief.

"Am I really that good already?" He asked himself out loud, once he noticed that Aggie was well ahead of him, he rushed back to her side as she once again called Bennie to take them back to the Cromwell estate.

Three days had passed and after hearing more of Bennie's skull jokes and annoying side comments from Luke, both Aggie and Nairbix were boarding the bus that led to the mortal world. In said world, it was pitch black thanks to the night sky, but the glows from the jack-o-lanterns were able to light all the porches and homes that they belonged to.

With the bus hovering several feet above the ground, Aggie used her umbrella to gently float to the ground while Nairbix simply jumped off. However, the same couldn't be said for Aggie's stubborn handbag as it wiggled as to say that it didn't want to go.

"Come on." Aggie told it only to see it wiggle in disagreement yet again. "Come on." She said more sternly only to receive the same answer. "Suit yourself." She said as she and Nairbix began to walk off. Not wanting to be alone, the bag leapt from the bus and quickly scurried to its owner, Nairbix noticed it was at his side and patted it before lifting it up to give to his teacher. She then patted it and cooed at it as though the bag were a dog as they continued their walk.

"I'm guessing that this is your daughter's home?" Nairbix asked once they reached the only house on the street that lacked any trace of decorations.

"Sigh, that's the one. Now before we go in, let's remember the rules, shall we?" Aggie asked earning a less enthusiastic look from Nairbix, the reason was that he felt that these were mostly his responsibility to remind his teacher.

"Don't mention Halloweentown, magic or the Keyblade. Don't anger Gwen, and keep the matter about the threat on Halloweentown as low as possible until the children are asleep. Can you remember all of that, Aggie?" He asked dryly fully knowing the correct answer.

"Oh, posh!" She retorted with a wave of her hand before marching to the door. Without permission, Aggie opened the door to hear that her daughter had just sneaked away a floating cookie from her youngest daughter.

"Good thing she doesn't like liver, eh, dear?" She said letting everyone in the house know she was there.

"Oh, it's so good to see you all again." She said to her family as her grandchildren embraced her with hugs. "And my, my, my look at how you've grown."

"Did you bring us presents?" Sophie, the youngest asked.

"Oh, presents, presents, presents, presents, what kind of a grandma would I be if I didn't bring presents?" She asked as she laughed at her granddaughter's question. "Nairbix, dear, could you fetch my bag for me, please?"

"Yes, ma'am, Aggie." He replied as he hoisted the bag up on the table.

"Um, Mother?" Gwen asked with an upset tone rising in her voice, "Who is that?" She asked pointing at Nairbix as he pulled out the candy and decorations from the bag.

"Oh, this Nairbix VanSull, I've been teaching him some of my "secrets" for the past week as favor for an old friend of mine." Aggie replied discreetly.

"What kind of secrets, Grandma?" Marnie asked as she and her siblings were digging into the candy.

"Oh, just some things that my friend thought he could stand to learn for a while." She then looked to Gwen and quickly mouthed Yen Sid allowing her daughter to know just who/what Nairbix was. After dressing the children in their costumes and eating dinner, Aggie was able to convince her daughter to let her read a bedtime story to her grandchildren.

"What story are you gonna tell us, Grandma, is it one I know?" Sophie asked once they were all gathered around the old woman.

"Oh, no, I wouldn't think so. My story is about a magical place. Where many different sorts of creatures live together in peace. And it's called, Halloweentown, and the residents are a bit more…exotic." Aggie said grabbing her grandchildren's attention. "Monsters, goblins, ghosts, ghouls, vampires, mummies, gnomes, and skeletons."

"Do they have banshees there, too?" Marnie asked in excitement.

"By the dozens, and of course…a few very fine witches." Aggie said with pride.

"I don't like witches." Sophie said before Aggie could continue. "They're mean and scary." In rush to change her granddaughter's mind, Aggie quickly defended her kind, gently.

"Oh, no, no, no, sweetheart. I mean, they're just like everyone else, some are kind and some are mean-that's the way they use their magic." She said mystically. "You can't tell what's in a monster's heart just by looking at them. Sometimes, even the slimiest and nastiest monsters can turn out to be the nicest!"

"I want to go there!" Sophie exclaimed.

"Excuse, me." Dylan interrupted, "But might I remind you, that we have an impressionably young child here, so I think you should point out that this place is just pretend." After he said this, Nairbix just snickered from the doorframe where he was standing.

"Oh, yes, right. Well, actually, I have to confess, I didn't make it up. I actually read it in a book." Aggie admitted/lied. "So you see, maybe it is real."

"A book, what book?" Dylan asked not believing his grandmother. She then pulled out a small children's book from her dress and presented it to her now even more amazed family.

"There, you see, Halloweentown!" Aggie then began to show them all the pictures that represented the everyday residents of the actual Halloweentown. As they continued to flip through the book, Marnie stumbled upon a picture of a young witch that greatly resembled her.

"Look, its' Marnie!" Sophie exclaimed as she pointed to the illustration.

"It is, me." She said in shock as she looked at her smirking grandmother.

"Well, there is quite a resemblance. Maybe Marnie has a secret life that we know nothing about?" Aggie teased hopping the hint would drop.

"If she's a witch, then she's certainly got the weird part down. It's just the magic powers she's missing." Dylan sneered at his older sister.

"What about it, dear?" Aggie asked. "Have you casted any spells lately? Or taken any midnight flights through the sky?"

"…I wish. But the truth is, there's nothing special about me." Marnie replied with disappointment.

"Oh, no, dear you're very special-you're a Cromwell! And since the dawn of time, the Cromwells have been the most-"

"Mother!" Gwen snapped from the door. Aggie sheepishly turned to see her own daughter glare at her yet again. "It's getting late. You and your little student wouldn't want to miss your bus back home."

"How did I get dragged into this scolding session?" Nairbix thought bluntly.

"Aw, Grandma has to go?" Sophie asked.

"But can't you two stay overnight, Grandma?" Marnie asked with hope.

"No, your mother's right. If we don't catch our bus by midnight…it'll just be a long time before the next one, so kiss Grandma Goodnight." She said sadly as they exchanged pecks and hugs.

"Mother, I am going to put Dylan to bed, and I will speak with you in the kitchen in one minute." Gwen said as though she were the mother.

"Of course, dear." Aggie said knowing she didn't have a choice. Once Gwen was in the other room, and the teacher and student were downstairs, Nairbix began to speak.

"Aggie, when Gwen was a teenager and ridding around on brooms, did one of them get stuck up her butt and stay there?" He asked bluntly.

"Oh!" Aggie playfully waved off. Once Gwen was downstairs, she rushed through to put away her leftovers as she vented her anger at her mother while she and Nairbix somewhat listened to her.

"And after I specifically told you not to speak about it!"

"I was only trying to do what you should have done a long time ago." Aggie retorted. "You are on the verge of breaking a tradition that goes back for over a thousand years!"

"Your tradition, Mother, not mine!" Gwen snapped back. "Marnie is my daughter, and if I decide not to train her like a witch, then that's none of your business."

"A witch's thirteenth Halloween is supposed to mark the end of her training." Nairbix added as he began to back away the decorations into the bag. "If nothing is done by midnight tonight, then she can kiss her powers goodbye."

"Yes, and she'll be finally be human! She'll finally be normal, like her brother, like her father, and like Sophie will be. And nobody asked you, anyway." Gwen pointed out harshly.

"Well, I wasn't waiting for an invitation." He retorted with an even voice, even though she was getting on his nerves.

"Hmph, you're lucky that you have at least two children showing powers, especially considering they're half mortal." Aggie reminded, as she was arguing, Nairbix caught whiff of another person's scent from behind him, as he turned around to see he found nothing and simply shrugged it off.

"Do you really want them to go through life the hard way?" Aggie asked as Gwen was readying plastic containers for the chicken. "I mean, look at you-look at you using plastic bowls when you know leftover chicken keeps better when it's back on the bone!" In an instant, the wings reverted to a live chicken sitting in the bowl. In surprise, Gwen nearly jumped a foot before she ordered her mother to undo her magic. So, with a quick flap of her arms and her own chicken cluck, Aggie did as she was told.

"Is it wrong to want to eat that chicken even more after seeing that?" Nairbix asked only to gain blank stares from the two witches, moving on, Gwen continued to lecture Aggie.

"For years you have been coming here-you've been dropping hints to Marnie and you've been badgering me to start her training. I know that's why you came here tonight, Mother. But the fight is over, you know that? The clock has finally run out, and you and Nairbix can just go home."

"Why do you continue to include me in your rants towards your mother?" Nairbix asked as he was munching on the leftover chicken.

"Gwen, as much as I think you're making a terrible mistake with Marnie…you're wrong about why I came here tonight." Aggie admitted. "The fact is, I need your help."

"My help, with what?" She asked.

"Well, something's wrong at home, something is happening." The older witch began, "Every day, I find that another neighbor has changed-turned hateful, frightening. And then suddenly, they disappear altogether."

"It's a mystery!" Nairbix teased hauntingly as he was now eating the bones for whatever reason, undoubtedly for the calcium.

"Oh, Mother please." Gwen replied as though it was nonsense, "My neighbors vanish all the time, it's called moving."

"Gwendolyn!" Aggie snapped, "I'm quite serious about this! It's as if something or someone is trying to return us back to the dark times. And I fear that even with the power of Nairbix's Keyblade, my powers aren't enough." She then grabbed her daughter's shoulders in desperation, "I need another Cromwell witch…I need you."

In an attempt to reassure her mother and to convince her to leave her be, Gwen gently spoke to her. "Mother, I'm sure there are plenty of other witches and warlocks in Halloweentown, why don't you recruit one of them?"

"Oh, I tried!" Aggie replied hotly at the memories. "You know how it is today, no one wants to get involved!"

"Yeah, Little Miss Molly Mortal here is proof enough to that statement." Nairbix added earning yet another glare.

"Become a single parent to three children and then you can talk to me about being involved." Gwen retorted.

"So long as I can do this," Nairbix said as he summoned his Keyblade, "I will answer any call that comes my way."

"See," Aggie stressed as she pointed to her students as he dismissed his weapon, "Even a child like Nairbix is willing to help!"

"Mother, I'm sure that you believe there's some big problem, but I can't just leave my kids to go fight some nameless force in another world that I have nothing to do with."

"Nothing to do with?" Aggie asked in shock before anger took over. "Fine, bury your head in the sand of your precious mortal world. Perhaps the Cromwell line will end with you, but let's just hope Halloweentown doesn't come to an end along with it! Come along, Nairbix. We're leaving." Nairbix and the bag then hopped down from the kitchen island and followed Aggie out, but Nairbix stopped for a moment and turned to Gwen.

"Enjoy you leftovers, Gwen." He said before he redid the spell Aggie had done on the chicken while it clucked and moved around inside the refrigerator.

Once they left the house, they made their way back to the bus stop and awaited the bus to take them back. Sure enough, the bus flew down and gently stopped for the duo (trio if you counted the bag).

"Hi, Skinner." Aggie greeted as they boarded the bus.

"Hello, Aggie, Nairbix." He replied kindly before closing the door. After a brief crossing between the two realms, the bus landed in the sunny and ever fall climate of Halloweentown. Aggie and Nairbix were just about to call for Bennie, but the older woman accidently bumped into one of her many neighbors and friends.

"Harriet!" She said happily at the sight of her friend.

"Oh, Aggie!" She replied as they hugged and laughed. "Fancied a trip to the mortals, did we? Didn't have time myself this year. Been doing some volunteer work at the headless shelter, poor dears. Care for a muffin?" She offered, Aggie refused but Nairbix did otherwise.

"May I have one, Ms. Harriet?" Nairbix asked sweetly, giving the boy another warm and friendly smile, Harriet reached into her basket and gave him one of her muffins and gained and hum of delight as he ate it happily. "Never had a tastier muffin than one of yours, Ms. Harriet."

"Oh, sweet as always, Nairbix. Shame they couldn't eat any at the shelter, no heads!" She exclaimed and laughed at the irony. "Oh, well, best be off, take care."

"Bye, Harriet." Aggie said still giggling before walking off. In an effort to save time, Nairbix transported himself and his teacher to the estate in order to prepare the talisman. After pouring in the powdered Witch's Brew into a small caldron, Aggie stuck it in a microwave and waited for it to be ready.

"Somebody's coming." She muttered as Nairbix also caught a whiff of the new scent. She then walked towards the door and opened it to find all three of her grandchildren.

"Oh, kids! How did you get here?" She asked happy to see them.

"On the bus." Sophie replied.

"I'm here to start my training, Grandma." Marnie stated with excitement.

"Your training?" Aggie asked before realizing what happened. "Oh, it was you outside the kitchen. I thought I heard someone listening."

"Well I can assume, that your mother knows nothing about this." Nairbix said as he was pulling out the talisman's box.

Aggie simply laughed and said, "I'm sure she's going to be awfully upset when she realizes you're gone."

"Can't we just call her?" Dylan asked.

"No, no, dear. I'm afraid, that we haven't worked out long distance calls between worlds just yet. No, I'm afraid that I'll just have to take you back home myself."

"But you can't take us home." Marnie whined.

"Yeah, we want to help fight the bad thing." Sophie informed.

"Yeah, the bad thing or force field-whatever it is. You said, you needed another Cromwell witch." Marnie reminded. "That could be me! You can train, me!"

"We could always use the extra help, Aggie." Nairbix said letting himself be known. "You know that Gwen is already leaving us on our own, so why not use the more enthusiastic one?"

"Well, I suppose that it'd be alright if you stayed for a while, at least before midnight in the mortal world."

"But that's only two hours from now!" Marnie exclaimed in worry, but Aggie quickly calmed her down.

"Don't worry, dear. Time works differently in all worlds. Two hours there, might be two days or two weeks here."

"What's this, Grandma?" Dylan asked as he stood next to a large black caldron filled with swirling dark magical water.

"Looks like you've discovered the Witch's Glass, it's been handed down the Cromwell clan for generations." Aggie described, "Nairbix and I have been using it to keep our eyes on Halloweentown." As she peered into the glass and waved her hands over it, she began to see what was causing the strange events. It was a laughing dark figure wearing a mask that resembled a horrific scarecrow's face.

"We're in for it now." Nairbix stated bluntly after they all witnessed their new foe.

"What can we do to stop it?" Marnie asked before Aggie brought out Merlin's Talisman.

"Merlin himself used this talisman to end the dark ages in the mortal world, I think that it just might do the trick for our problems here." She explained as the microwave went off, Nairbix then walked over to it and brought the bubbling caldron to the table for his teacher.

"Are you cooking chowder, Grandma?" Sophie asked cutely.

"Oh, no, dear. This is Witch's Brew, a little recipe that I picked up in the sixth century." Aggie corrected while stirring.

"I'd hate to see what would happen to any poor sucker who did try to eat this stuff like it was chowder." Nairbix said earning a little bit of laughter from the others.

"How's it going to help?" Dylan asked.

"By bring this talisman back to life." Aggie said as she took it out of its case.

"Are you going to use your magic to raise some spirits, have a big ritual and summon the forces of darkness to get it going?" Marnie asked in excitement.

"Nope." Nairbix began curtly.

"We're just going to fill it up and see if the light goes on." Aggie finished with her merry attitude bringing Marnie back down to the world. She then began to pour the brew inside the talisman. "If I can get it lit and restore its properties, it should suffice to drive away this force that threatens us."

"That's it, you just fill it up?" Marnie asked with disappointment in her voice, Aggie and Nairbix then looked to her and quickly reassured her.

"Well of course there's more to it than that, this is magic we're talking about, it's never that boring!" Nairbix replied.

"We do have to say a spell over it." Aggie added, "That's why I asked your mother to come and help, you see, spells are more powerful when more than one user of magic joins in. Especially if their Cromwells or wielders of the Keyblade."

"What's a Keyblade?" Marnie asked.

"This." Nairbix said as he summoned his weapon in flash of darkness. The three siblings looked at both him and it in amazement. "The Keyblade is a powerful weapon that only few can use. It chooses its wielder and presents them with the responsibility to watch over and protect all worlds."

"Wow, this is amazing!" Marnie exclaimed as she examined the key, "Grandma you said that you're teaching him, right? Do you have a Keyblade too?"

"No, I can't. I'm simply teaching Nairbix how to preform my style of magic, his master is an old friend of mine and wanted to help. He's already finished with his training with my spells, so once we've finished off the threat against Halloweentown, he'll be heading back to his training with his master."

"Yep, and he undoubtedly already has even more rigorous training in store for me when I get back." He said with dread. "Anyway, I think we should try and get this thing lit, while we still can.

"Right." Aggie said with a nod, both she and Nairbix focused their magic to the talisman and quickly muttered the necessary spell. For a moment, it looked as though it worked, sadly that was not the outcome. "Oh, drat! That's what I get for trying to use instant."

"I told you, we should've made it from scratch." Nairbix reminded. "We had three days to get the necessary ingredients, if you hadn't chosen the easy way, we would have been done with this yesterday!"

"Well, we'll just have to do things the old fashioned way, then." Aggie said in a huff. She then guided everyone to take a look at the original recipe for Witch's Brew from her spell book. "Let's see…vampire's fang, hair of a werewolf, sweat of a ghost, I suppose we could gather these ingredients in town. But we'd have to be very discreet, I can't be certain who to trust anymore."

Once the newly formed party left the Cromwell estate, they ventured into the peaceful community of Halloweentown.

"Is there gonna be a big Halloween party, Grandma?" Sophie asked as the townsfolk passed by them. "Everybody's all dressed up."

"No, this is the way we all dress here." Aggie replied merrily, "The people who started your Halloween just imitated our traditions-mortal see mortal do!"

"But why do you have to live so far away, Grandma?" Marnie asked.

"Well, there was a time where humans and monsters, witches and vampires and all of us could be together. Then there were the dark times. It was a bad mix, humans feared us and tried to destroy us, so we did our best to try and make them miserable in return. But it was turning us evil-which we are not. So, we decided to create our own world." She said proudly of her home. "From that day on, we were able to settle down and have homes and children and jobs."

As they were walking past the movie theatre, a vicious and bitter creature bumped into Aggie and snarled at her like an animal. Immediately, both Nairbix and Aggie recognized it as who they bumped into earlier.

"Aggie, was that?" Nairbix asked in shock.

"Harriet." She breathed, she then noticed Kalabar across the street as he walked into an ice-cream parlor. In a rush, she quickly raced over to meet up with him in order to inform him about Harriet.

"Kalabar." Aggie addressed.

"Yes?" He asked before noticing the children he met upon their arrival. "Hello again, Soapy." He teased.

"Sophie!" The three siblings stressed before their grandmother could pull the man away.

"Kalabar, I just ran into Harriet and she's completely changed! Her face, she was like a wild animal."

"And she was fine a couple of hours ago, too!" Nairbix added earning a concerned look from the mayor.

"Really?" He asked them.

"This is what I've been telling you about. If she ends up like the others, then she'll have disappeared by tomorrow altogether." Aggie informed. Kalabar paused for a moment before he replied.

"I have to apologize to you, Aggie." He admitted, "I didn't take you seriously about this thing, at first. I think you and your student have uncovered something very serious."

"What is it? What's wrong?" She asked.

"Well, I don't have all the details yet. But I do know one thing…I want you to leave this alone, for now. It's much too dangerous-especially with the children. Promise me that you won't do this by yourself. Promise me?" He asked with a smirk only to earn a stiff pout from the old woman. "You Cromwells are impossible. Just give me two days." He said as he made his way to the door, but the duo still gave him stubborn glares. "Just two days, that's all."

Aggie then walked over to Dylan and Sophie and told them that they were leaving. "Come along, children." She said.

"Um, Aggie." Nairbix said as he tugged on her dress and pointed outside.

"What is it-oh, Marnie! She's found the brooms." Aggie said seeing where this was going. Over at the broom shop, Marnie was happily examining the merchandise.

"Grandma, would you look at these!" She said happily as the others walked over.

"Yes, they are a bit snazzier than when I was a girl." Aggie admitted.

"Can I get one Grandma, please?" Marnie pleaded.

"Yes, well I guess it is the right of passage for witches your age." She replied as her granddaughter hugged her, off to the side, the would-be punk Luke added his own little comment.

"How sweet." He said bitterly, "Buying little Marely here her first broom."

"It's Marnie." She retorted with a sneer.

"This is a local boy, Luke." Aggie introduced.

"Hey, don't sell me too short, Grammy. I'm sort of a big cheese around here. Maybe I could show you around sometime, buy you an ice-cream?" He asked arrogantly. "The Abominable Snowman has a little shop down the street."

"You know?" Marnie asked, "I was getting kinda hungry, but then I smelled something stinky. I guess it must be the big cheese."

"Perhaps another time." Aggie offered with a smirk at her granddaughter's comeback.

"Yeah, like never." Dylan threw in.

"You know, if you people were smart, you'd be nice to me." Luke threatened, "I'm friends with very powerful creatures around here!" He shouted before bumping into some brooms like a fool. With the pest gone, Aggie and Marnie took her new broom out for a pin in the sky laughing and cheering the way only witches could do.

"Me next! Me next!" Sophie said happily as they landed.

"You next! You next!" Aggie laughed.

"I don't think so." Said a stiff voice from behind. It was a very unhappy Gwen.

"And so ends the joy." Nairbix muttered as he looked away.

"I'm sorry if we worried you, dear." Aggie said sheepishly, "I was going to bring them back just as soon as I-"

"Mother, I can't believe that you brought them here in the first place!" Gwen accused.

"Well I didn't, they came to see me." Aggie corrected triumphantly.

"I came to get my training." Marnie said proudly.

"Training?" Gwen asked as her temper rose even higher.

"I tried to stop them, Mom but they hypnotized me!" Dylan lied.

"Traitor." Nairbix said bluntly.

"And I thought you were brave?!" Marnie exclaimed.

"Hey, it's Mom." He defended.

"Stop it, I don't want to here anymore excuses. I want you all to get back on that bus because we are going home." Gwen declared.

"But, Mom! Grandma and Nairbix need help!" Marnie reminded, "And since you won't do it, they need the only other Cromwell witch there is, me." She said smugly as though she won.

"You are not a witch." Her mother denied. "And you don't even know what he is." She added sending anger into the boy.

"Oh, yes I am, no thanks to you. And I perfectly know what Nairbix is, he is my friend. You're gonna let my powers go away forever."

"Marnie, there is so much more to this thing than you understand." Gwen pleaded.

"I understand that I am here. And I've got a broom and that I am going to learn that everything that Grandma can teach me." Marnie retorted yet again.

"You will not." Gwen said flatly.

"It's her birth right!" Aggie snapped.

"She was born in the human world and human is what she'll be!" Gwen bellowed at her mother.

"It's her life, let her decide!" Nairbix shouted as he defended his teacher.

"This is none of your concern, you little darkling." She snapped causing her mother to gasp at the insult.

"Gwendolyn!" Nairbix lowered his head as he soon began to tremble with anger. He looked back up at the woman with his eyes blazing and spoke in malice to her.

"Yeah, I'm of darkness. I am the living manifestation and embodiment of my home's firstborn darkness. But unlike you, Gwendolyn," He sneered, "I am not ashamed of who I am or where I come from!"

"How dare you-"

"No, you don't get to speak!" He shouted as darkness formed around him. "You are done talking to everyone like they are your children and like you have authority over them! I take pride in my origins, I take pride in the fact that my own world chose on its own to give me the life I have. You, however, have no respect for your origins, you have no respect for your family. You have no respect for yourself! And unlike you, I can't return to my home." Nairbix said as the darkness began to fade. "Good day to you." He said through his gritting teeth as he walked away.

"Who do you think you are?" Gwen asked breaking the silence. "You have no right to speak to me like that! I am their mother, and if I decide to train my children or not, then you nor anyone else can tell me otherwise!"

"I said, Good day!" Nairbix shouted even louder.

"Come on, kids. We're leaving." Gwen growled as she glared at her mother's student.

"If you think that I'm going with you after what you just said to my friend, you've got another thing coming." Marnie snapped at her mother.

"You put that broom down right now, young lady, you are grounded." Gwen snapped ending the long heated argument. "Say goodbye to Grandma, everybody. It's time for us to go home." With that being said, the Piper family left the emotionally hurt teacher and student.

While the others were trying to find a way back to the other world, both Aggie and Nairbix were walking down Main Street to get back to the estate. However, they once again ran into Luke.

"Go away, Luke, we're not in the mood." Aggie growled before the teen could even say anything.

"Family trouble, huh, Grammy?" He asked ignoring her last statement. "Guess it's just you two again. Must get pretty frustrating, fighting this thing by yourselves, no one believing you."

"What do you know about it?" Nairbix asked with his eyes still blazing with anger.

"I know you've got Merlin's Talisman, and he wants it." Luke said smugly looking only at Aggie.

"He?" She asked, "Who is, He?"

"Don't know, huh? It's funny, he knows all about you and about that brew you guys have been working on too." Luke replied.

"Well if he's so powerful, why is he hiding? Why doesn't he reveal himself?" Aggie asked hotly.

"See, that's why I'm here." Luke answered. "He wants to reveal himself…to you. Come on, Grammy, admit it. You're dying to know, right? Or is the big bad Cromwell witch and her little Keyblade wielding student afraid?"

"We don't fear him or any creature." Nairbix snarled.

"Take us to him." Aggie ordered bravely. Luke complied and led them to the old movie theatre. After he let them in and showed them to one of the rooms, they noticed that several seats were filled with motionless townsfolk covered in cobwebs and that there was a dark void where the screen should have been. As they inspected to see who the creatures were, Aggie stumbled upon her friend's frozen body.

"Harriet?" She asked. Just then, from the dark void a twister of darkness came forth and revealed the dark figure that was shown in the Witch's Glass.

"Welcome to my museum." It said as it cackled.

"So this is why so many have disappeared." Aggie stated as she and Nairbix stared down the figure. "First you put them under an evil spell, then you turn them into statues."

"No, not statues." He said. "They're very much alive. They're merely frozen in time until I need them."

"To do what?" Nairbix hissed. "To destroy this world?"

"I know you have Merlin's Talisman. Give it to me!" He ordered.

"We do have the talisman." Aggie admitted smugly, "And soon your horrible spell over Halloweentown will be broken forever!"

"No, you foolish witch! You think that your magic is more powerful than mine?!" The figure shouted.

"Yeah, as if that could happen." Luke commented from a nearby seat.

"There is nothing you can do to stop me!"

"Zip, Nada, zero goose eggs." Luke added yet again.

"I will bend the creatures of this world to my will one by one!" He shouted.

"Two by two and three by three."

"Will you shut up?!" He shouted at his annoying lackey.

"Sorry." Luke said sheepishly.

"Give me the talisman!" He ordered Aggie.

"Never!" She shouted as Nairbix readied his Keyblade.

"Then suffer the consequences." He said as he waved his finger before firing the spell that would make them freeze like all the others. Despite her old age, Aggie was able to dodge the attacks as easily as her student.

"You cannot escape me!" The figure shouted as he continued his onslaught.

"Creature hasn't been born quick enough to catch a Cromwell." Aggie remarked.

"Or a wielder of the Keyblade!" Nairbix shouted as he tossed his darkness covered Keyblade. At first it missed the laughing creature and flew into the void from where he came.

"You missed, you meddlesome brat!" He said while Nairbix simply smirked. A second later, the spinning Keyblade came back and struck its target in the back before returning to its owner.

"Grandma!" Marnie shouted as she and her family entered the theatre.

"Get them!" He shouted to Luke once he spotted them.

"Leave my family alone!" Aggie shouted while Gwen bonded Luke with magical flowers.

"This is your last chance, give me the talisman!" Before he could freeze the eldest Cromwell, Gwen pushed her mother out of the way and received the attack. "Sleep now, Agatha Cromwell. And when you awake, I will be your master!" He shouted as he finally struck the old woman.

"Aggie!" Nairbix shouted as he witnessed the attack. The three siblings then reluctantly made their way to the door while the light blinded and weakened the creature as they escaped.

"Now, young VanSull." He addressed after regaining his composure, "Join your teacher and sleep!" He shouted as he struck Nairbix with his magic. Nairbix stood still as the magic enveloped him while his foe continued with his evil laughter.

"Don't laugh just yet." Nairbix said with anger making the creature stop. "It'll take more than that to put me down." He said moving freely.

"Argh! How is it you aren't affected?! My magic is supreme!" He shouted as he fired again only to see Nairbix easily dodge it. "Nothing can stop my darkness!"

"You're wrong." Nairbix said evenly as the shadows gathered around him. "You don't know darkness. What you call darkness, what you use is pathetic!" He shouted as he slashed his Keyblade sending a dark arch of power at his enemy.

"Petty!" He said again as his voice grew darker and slow as he fired his Dark Volley technique with each of the many orbs of darkness made contact.

"Weak!" Now, sending razor sharp shadows to slice the creature. As this attack did its work, Nairbix pointed his Keyblade his foe with a small glowing ball of dark energy forming at its tip. "Go back to the void from whence you came!" He shouted as a wide and powerful blast of dark energy struck the dark creature and pushed it back into the void behind him.

Grinning with victory, Nairbix made his way through the row of seats and made it out the door, but before he could go down the steps of the fire escape, someone or something wacked him on the back of the head and sent him over the railing and to the ground.

"That was for earlier." Luke said as he looked down at his deed.

About an hour later, Nairbix was brought out of his unconscious state by a hand slapping his face.

"Wake up, Nairbix. Stop being unconscious now!" Marnie said as she repeatedly slapped her friend.

"Marnie-Marnie! I'm awake!" He said as she gave him one last slap before helping him up. He then noticed that in her hand was the lit talisman. "You got it lit!" He said happily.

"Of course we did. We're Cromwells." Marnie said with pride.

"What happened to you anyway?" Dylan asked as Nairbix rubbed his aching head.

"After I took care of that creature, I made my way out and as soon as I opened the door, Luke got behind me and knocked me out before I fell over the railing." He replied.

"Well, we were able to get this thing lit, but now we don't know what to do with it." Marnie informed.

"Leave that to me. Aggie told me where we need to install it, but we need to be quick. That thing from earlier will be back and we need to be ready." He replied as he made his way back into the town.

"Install it? Install it where?" Dylan asked.

"Let me ask you this. On Halloween, where do you put the candle?" He asked making it clear, they needed to put the talisman in the giant pumpkin in the town square!

"I'll do it." Marnie said once she caught on and spotted the pumpkin.

"Are you crazy?!" Dylan asked.

"It's the only way to save Mom and Grandma." She replied.

"She's right. Besides, if that thing comes back while we're out here, I need to be ready in order to protect you guys and the town." Nairbix said as the darkness came. Over on the City Hall building, the dark creature arrived in another twister of wind and darkness.

"My fellow creatures!" He announced, "Your moment of destiny has arrived! I offer you the chance to return to our days of glory, to end this exile from the mortal world which the humans have taken from us! Follow me, my fellow citizens of Halloweentown. Too long have we been exiled to this second-class world! Forced to live here in this Halloweentown! But now the time has come, to return to our true natures, to celebrate the evil within us! To reveal our true selves as we really are!" He said as his appearance morphed into its true form, the form of a laughing Kalabar!

"I knew there was a reason I didn't like that guy." Nairbix said bluntly to himself.

"Follow me! And together, we can reclaim the mortal world that is rightfully ours!" Kalabar shouted to the crowd beneath him. "But before we can be sure of success, we must find the ones who would stop us. The one who is half human and the one of pure darkness!" He shouted regarding Marnie and Nairbix.

"You want me?!" Nairbix shouted as the crowd cleared the way for him. "You got me."

"So glad that you made this easier for everyone and revealed yourself without a fight, young Nairbix." Kalabar said thinking he was achieving victory. "Now, give me the talisman."

"If you think that just because you've made some big speech and called out two children you can lead these people to rule an entire world, you're as dumb as looked with that ridiculous disguise." Nairbix said bluntly.

"Do you honestly think that your words alone are enough to stop me?!" Kalabar asked while Nairbix still gave an unimpressed look.

"No, but they've seemed to distract you long enough for our plan to work." He replied with a devious smirk. Enraged, Kalabar looked over to the pumpkin and saw that Marnie had just opened the top in order to put the talisman inside.

"No!" Kalabar shouted as he leapt down from the building and attempted to freeze the young witch. Once the magic struck her back, her body laid limp on the massive gourd. However, this still worked in their favor because the talisman slipped from her fingers and landed into the center of the pumpkin activating the magic.

As the light blinded and overpowered Kalabar, the magic that he had over his captives was released allowing them all to be freed. The two Cromwells then raced into town in order to embrace their family. Aggie walked over to her student who gave a sly look.

"You're late." He stated with his arms crossed.

"Well, I figured that I had left things in the capable hands of my family and star pupil. So there was nothing to rush for." She replied playfully before place a peck on his cheek. "You've got all the powers of a Keyblade Master and twice the guts!"

"Grandma, it was Kalabar." Marnie informed as their enemy picked himself up from the ground.

"It was you!" Aggie said as she pointed and glared at the warlock.

"Why, Kalabar?" Gwen asked.

"You could've had me." He said to her. "The most powerful warlock of all. You could have ruled with me as my queen! But you chose a human instead." He bellowed.

"Well, it looks she's a pretty good judge of character." Both Marnie and Nairbix said smirking.

"Your days of rule are at an end, Kalabar." Aggie declared. Kalabar waved his fingers at the old woman before he growled at her.

"Do not underestimate me, Agatha." With a flick of his hand, he pulled the talisman from the pumpkin and gripped it in his hands while he laughed. "Now my darkness will spread unchecked, and I will be ruler of all worlds!"

"Ha!" Nairbix shouted before he was on the ground laughing. "You, the ruler of all worlds? Ha, even Bennie has better jokes than that one." He said as he picked himself up. Aggie then pulled out one of charms and began to recite an incantation to dispel of Kalabar, Gwen and Nairbix then joined her in order to fuel the magic, but it proved useless.

"You waste your energy, weaklings!" He shouted. "Your precious talisman is more powerful when it is wielded by a creature of the night!"

"Hey, chocolate bar!" Marnie shouted gaining everyone's attention. "You better give that talisman back or you're in big trouble." She warned.

"You half human brat." He spat, "You think your magic is any match for mine?!"

Marnie pretended to think for a moment before she replied with confidence, "No, but my powers, and my mom's and my grandmother's and my sister's and my brother's and Nairbix's might do it. Hit it, guys." She said as they all joined hands and concentrated their magic into the talisman to overpower Kalabar.

"No!" He shouted as the light grew brighter, "No!" He shouted before the power of the talisman destroyed him ending the threat on the peaceful Halloweentown. The talisman then flew back into Aggie's hand as the surrounding crowd cheered over their victory.

"You did a fabulous job, all of you." Aggie cried cheerfully. She then turned to Nairbix and began to say the long foreseen goodbye. "Especially you, my dear student. We may have never succeeded without you."

"It's all thanks to you and your teachings, Aggie." He said with a sad smile.

"No, you have a power within you that you used all on your own, Nairbix. From what I've seen, you just might have what it take to surpass Yen Sid's teacher." She said confusing Nairbix.

"Wait, is Nairbix leaving?" Marnie asked as sorrow began to take her and her two siblings.

"Yes, dear, he is." Aggie said with pride.

"But why?" Sophie asked. "How come he's not coming back with all of us, Grandma?"

"Nairbix came here to Halloweentown to receive magic training with me. I told his master that I would keep him here as long as it took for him to master all that I could teach him, and I have."

"As sad as it is, we'll most likely never see each other again. But I'll always remember you all. Never forget that." Nairbix said as he hugged his three friends and his teacher.

"Here, take this with you." Aggie said as she handed him the talisman.

"But what about-"

"We won't need it for the time being." Aggie waved off. "But should we ever do, I trust that you'll keep very special care for it."

"I will." Nairbix said with a nod. He then summoned a corridor to take him back to the tower and looked back to the Cromwells before departing this world. And though they didn't know it, Nairbix would find another purpose for the talisman in the distant future when all things would be enveloped by his darkness.

Once the darkness cleared, Nairbix was once again in his master's study at The Mysterious Tower.

"Back so soon, Nairbix?" Yen Sid asked from behind his pupil's back.

"Yes, Master." Nairbix replied as he bowed, "I have completed my training at Halloweentown and helped vanquish the force wanting to oppress its good nature and people."

"Very good, my young pupil. I can sense that you have indeed grown very strong with magic in your short time there. Thankfully, I have just finished preparing your next level of training for you."

"Thank you, Master. I look forward to what you have in store for me." Nairbix thanked with another bow as his master chuckled.

"I'm sure you will. As for now, you should rest. Tomorrow, we will continue your training."

"Very well, Master. Goodnight." Nairbix said with a yawn as he left the study.

"In less than a week, he was able to master one of the most difficult and powerful forms of magic in all the worlds." Yen Sid thought to himself. "He is already showing great strength well beyond his age and skill level. If this continues, he may have what it takes to become a True Master of the Keyblade."


	9. The Phantom Menace

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, anything Disney or anything that is under the rights of Lucasfilms. That's right! We are finally at the chapter that explains why Natasha had a lightsaber and could use the Force! And let me tell you, the story behind it is a scream. There will be more of this A.N. at the end of the chapter. Enjoy!**

Two years had passed since Nairbix's time in Halloweentown, his training had greatly progressed since his time there which made his master's assumptions even more convincing. Today was not a day for training for the young apprentice however, it was a day of well-earned relaxation.

Nairbix was currently laying on the grass of Radiant Garden with Natasha at his side staring up at the clouds, currently, the young princess was napping with a pleasant smile on her face. That is until she woke with a start and exclamation.

"I just remembered!" She said.

"What?" Nairbix asked confused to see his best friend and crush act like this. Instead of quickly answering, Natasha pulled out small device from the bag at her side and tossed it on the ground.

"My uncle and I made this before you arrived. It can teleport us anywhere!" Natasha said happily.

"Really? That's impressive."

"Let's use it." She declared before activating it.

"What?! But, Natasha, what if it doesn't take us back?!" Nairbix asked with worry.

"So?" She shrugged, "If it doesn't you can just bring us back with your corridor."

"Good point." Nairbix agreed as the device flashed and quickly transported them. In an instant, the two friends found themselves on a strange station that was floating in space! "Where are we exactly?"

"Who cares?" Natasha asked in excitement. Just then, two large metal doors opened to revel an upright silver robot and two cloaked men.

"My master will be with you shortly." The machine said politely before walking off.

"Um, Master?" The younger one of the two said once he spotted the duo.

"And who might you two be?" The master asked. Feeling bold, Natasha stepped forward and answered.

"My name is Natasha Romanoff, Princess of Radiant Garden. This is my companion, Nairbix VanSull, apprentice to Keyblade Master Yen Sid and the living manifestation and embodiment of Narnia's firstborn darkness."

"Greetings, princess. I am Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn." Qui-Gon said with a bow.

"And I am his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi. If I may ask, what exactly is a Keyblade and where is Radiant Garden?"

"The Keyblade is the weapon that I wield." Nairbix answered as he summoned Heartbreaker causing the two Jedi to shift in surprise. "It's a powerful weapon used to maintain peace and balance between the worlds. Radiant Garden is one of the worlds, although, judging from your reactions, you have no idea what I'm talking about."

"I guess the device took us to some other galaxy." Natasha thought earning a smack on the head by her friend.

"Well, way to go, Your Highness." Nairbix said sarcastically earning a set of soft laughter from Qui-Gon.

"Then you and I have a similar purpose, young VanSull. We Jedi uphold the same task. Only we use different weapons along with the Force."

"What's the Force?" Natasha asked.

"The Force is what binds together all life in the universe. It's an energy created through life, the few who can harness this energy become Jedi, like Obi-Wan and myself."

"This Force of yours sounds an awful lot like Kingdom Hearts." Nairbix said.

"Kingdom Hearts?" Obi-Wan asked as he and his master looked confused.

"It's an entity/dominion made up of the hearts of all worlds. It holds great power that can't be contained. Many have tried though, a great war broke out because of it in the past as well." He explained as they all seated themselves at the table next to them. Growing concerned, Obi-Wan began to speak.

"Is it in their nature to make us wait this long?"

"No, I sense a great amount of fear for something as trivial as this trade dispute." Qui-Gon said as the droid from before returned with drinks. In the control room of the station, a tall, ugly, green alien named Viceroy Nute Gunray contacted a hooded figure via hologram.

"What is it?" The figure asked, another alien of the same species as Gunray quickly cut in.

"This scheme of yours has failed, Lord Sidious. The blockade is finished. We dare not go against these Jedi."

"Viceroy, I don't want this stunted slime in my sight again." Sidious said darkly with anger. "This turn of events is unfortunate. We must accelerate our plans. Begin landing your troops."

"My lord, is that legal?" Gunray asked.

"I will make it legal." Sidious snarled.

"And the Jedi?"

"The chancellor should never have brought them into this. Kill them immediately."

"Yes, my lord. As you wish." Gunray replied with a fearful bow. After blowing up the Jedi's ship, the explosion rang throughout the station alerting the Jedi, Nairbix and Natasha. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon readied their lightsabers while Nairbix summoned his Keyblade and Natasha readied her magic.

Gas then filled the room from the air vents. "Dioxis." Qui-Gon alerted causing them all to deeply take a breath. Once the doors opened and a group of battle droids began to speak, they four of them charged out of the gas filled room. The two Jedi quickly sliced through the droids while Nairbix did the same with Natasha electrocuting them with lightning magic.

As they were all fighting their way to the control room's door, Qui-Gon pierced it with his lightsaber and attempted to cut through.

"Master, Destroyers!" Obi-Wan alerted as two other droids rolled up to them.

"You get the door, we'll cover you." Nairbix said as he stood by the Padawan's side. The droids then uncurled and fired at them while their shields activated. As they deflected the lasers with their weapons, Natasha rushed in front of them to attack.

"Natasha, don't!" Obi-Wan shouted, "They have-" But he was cut off as she got close enough to get past the shields and crush the droids' heads in her hands. "Shields." Obi-Wan finished slowly, Nairbix chuckled and patted his new friend on the shoulder.

"She may be a princess, but she's far from delicate." Before they could continue to the control room, five more Destroyer Droids rolled their way.

"We're no match, run!" Qui-Gon said as he grabbed Nairbix and Obi-Wan grabbed Natasha before using the Force to dash away rapidly. Once it was safe, they entered the ventilation shaft and crawled to the hanger.

"Battle droids?" Qui-Gon asked as they all spotted the army.

"It looks like an invasion army." Natasha concluded.

"This is an odd play for the Trade Federation." Qui-Gon informed, "We've got to warn the Naboo and contact Chancellor Valorum. Let's split up. Stow aboard separate ships and meet down on the planet."

"You were right about one thing, Master." Obi-Wan stated. "The negotiations were short."

After Obi-Wan and Natasha boarded one ship, Qui-Gon and Nairbix took another and made their way to the surface of Naboo. As the ships were landing, the droids began to tear down the surrounding trees in order to clear their path. Nairbix and Qui-Gon quickly made their way through the forest with the droids on their tails. As they were running, a tall strange looking local caught sight of them.

"Oh, no!" He shouted in a high silly voice.

"Get away! Get out of here!" Qui-Gon shouted before tackling him to the ground before the droid vessel could mow them down.

"Was'n dat?" He asked as Nairbix and Qui-Gon went the other way. "Hey, wait! Oh, mooie-mooie! I love you!" He exclaimed while following them.

"You almost got us killed. Are you brainless?" Qui-Gon asked hotly.

"I spake."

"The ability to speak does not make you intelligent." Nairbix interrupted. "Now, get out here."

"No, no, mesa stay." He pleaded. "Mesa called Jar Jar Binks. Mesa your humble servant."

"That won't be necessary." They both denied without hesitation.

"Oh, but it 'tis. 'Tis demanded by the gods, it 'tis." Suddenly, laser blasts went off curtesy of two droids attacking Obi-Wan and Natasha. Nairbix quickly sent two blasts of dark volley at them destroying them in an instant. "You saved my again." Jar Jar said gratefully.

"What's this?" Natasha asked,

"A local." Qui-Gon said dryly. "Let's get out of here before more droids show up."

"…More? More did you spake?" Jar Jar asked fearfully as they all walked off. "Ex-squeeze-me, but de mostest safest place would be Gunga City. Is where I grew up. 'Tis a hidden city."

Hearing this, they all stopped and looked at their new companion. "A city?" Natasha asked.

"Uh-huh."

"Can you take us there?" Nairbix asked.

"Uh, on second thought, no. Not really, no." Jar Jar replied nervously.

"No?" Qui-Gon asked growing impatient.

"Tis embarrassing…but, uh, my afraid my've been banished." He admitted as the sounds of the droids grew louder and closer. "My forgotten. Da bosses would do terrible things to me. Terrible things to me if me go back there."

"You hear that?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Yeah."

"That is the sound of a thousand terrible things heading this way."

"If they find us, they will crush us…" Obi-Wan began as they were all getting closer to Jar Jar.

"Grind us into tiny pieces…" Nairbix added.

"And blast us into oblivion." Natasha finished darkly.

"Oh." Jar Jar said bluntly, "Yousa point is well seen. This way, hurry!"

"You've certainly encountered an interesting one this time, Master." Obi-Wan teased earning an annoyed look from his teacher.

"I don't know, I like him." Nairbix said.

"Yeah, he's funny." Natasha added as they followed Jar Jar to a lake.

"How much farther?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Wesa goen underwater, okeyday? Ah, my warning you. Gungans no liken outsiders, so don't spect a warm welcome." He replied.

"Oh, don't worry. This hasn't been our day for warm welcomes." Obi-Wan joked while Nairbix and Natasha nodded before they all jumped in with Jar Jar leading. As they all swam deeper into the water, they came upon an underwater golden lit city.

"So good being home!" Jar Jar exclaimed as the other Gungans looked at him in shock.

"Hey, yousa! Stopa dare!" A blue Gungan shouted pointing a spear at the party.

"Heyo-dales, Cap'n Tarpals. Mesa back!" Jar Jar greeted.

"Noah gain, Jar Jar. Yousa goen tada bosses. Yousa in big dudu dis time." Tarpals snarled. Two more guards came by and shocked Jar Jar out of anger.

"How rude." He said before they were taken away. In the room of the bosses, the head of them began to speak.

"Yousa cannot bees hair. Dis army of machines up dare is new weesong."

"A droid army is about to attack the Naboo. We must warn them." Qui-Gon informed evenly.

"Wesa no like da Naboo." The boss replied before clicking his tongue, "Da Naboo tink day so smarty. Day tink day brains so big."

"Once those droids take control of the surface, they will take control of you." Obi-Wan warned.

"Mesa no tink so." The boss replied stubbornly, "They not know of uss-en."

"You and the Naboo form a symbiont circle." Nairbix added, "Whatever happens to one of you affects the other, whether you like it or not."

"Wesa no care about da Naboo." With a discreet wave of his hand, Qui-Gon used an old Jedi mind trick to convince the boss to speed them on their way.

"We could use transport." He added with another wave.

"Wesa gonna give you una bongo. Da speediest way tooda Naboo 'tis goen through the planet core." The boss said darkly.

"Thank you for your help, we leave in peace." Qui-Gon said as they all bowed.

"Master, what's a bongo?" Obi-Wan asked.

"A transport, I hope." He replied.

"Deysa setten yousa up." Jar Jar said as they passed him. "Goin through da core…bad bombin." He warned. "Any help here would be hot."

"Nairbix, we're short on time." Obi-Wan reminded as Nairbix turned back to face the bosses.

"We'll need a navigator to help us through the core. Jar Jar could help. Hey, boss toad." Nairbix asked rudely. "What is to become of Jar Jar Binks here?"

"Hesen to be pune-ished." He replied with a smirk.

"My friend and I saved his life. He owes us what you call a 'life-debt.'"

"Your gods demand he belongs to us now." Qui-Gon added as he joined Nairbix's stand. After giving out a loud angry blubbering noise, the boss sent them all away.

"Count me outta dis one." Jar Jar refused as he was released. "Better dead here than dead in da core. Yee gods! What mesa sayin?!" He shouted.

As they left Gunga City, Natasha finally asked the big question on everyone's mind. "Why were you banished, Jar Jar?"

"It's a longo tale-o…buta small part of it would be mesa…clumsy."

"You were banished because you were clumsy?" Obi-Wan asked as he piloted the bongo.

"Yousa might'n be sayin dat." He replied. "Mesa caused maybe one, two little bitty accidenties, huh?" As the Gungan was explaining, a massive fish latched its tongue onto the ship, but before it could enjoy its meal, an even bigger fish grabbed it causing the ship to be released.

"There's always a bigger fish." Qui-Gon said evenly.

"Mesa tink, we go back now." Jar Jar suggested clearly scared.

"We're losing power." Obi-Wan informed calmly while Jar Jar began to panic.

"Wesa die in here." He sobbed while Obi-Wan attempted to get the power back.

"Just relax. We're not in trouble yet." Qui-Gon said causing Jar Jar to get angry.

"What yet? Monsters out dare. Leak'n in here. All sink'n and no power? When yousa tinkin wesa in trouble?!"

"Power's back." Nairbix said thanks to Obi-Wan, but as soon as they could see, another monster appeared and Jar Jar began to scream, again. In order to shut him up, Qui-Gon pressed the Gungan's pressure point and rendered him unconscious.

"Head for that outing." Qui-Gon said after they avoided the beast and Jar Jar regained consciousness. Moments later, the bongo rose out of the water canal of the Naboo's city. They then made their way through and found the Queen of Naboo being escorted by battle droids along with her advisors and handmaidens as prisoners beneath them.

They each landed to the ground and quickly disposed of the droids. "We should leave the street, Your Highness. We are ambassadors for the chancellor. I am Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. This is my padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi and these are our friends, Nairbix VanSull and Princess Natasha Romanoff."

"Your negotiations seemed to have failed, Ambassador." The queen dryly pointed out.

"Clearly, they never took place." Nairbix interrupted.

"It's urgent that we make contact with the Republic." Qui-Gon continued.

"They've knocked out all our communications." One of the guards informed.

"Do you have transports?" He asked.

"In the main hangar. This way." The guard informed, once they reached the hangar, they found it filled with droids. "There are too many of them."

"That won't be a problem. Your Highness, under the circumstances, I suggest you come to Coruscant with us." Qui-Gon pleaded.

"Thank you, Ambassador, but my place is with my people." The queen denied stiffly.

"They'll kill you if you stay." Natasha warned.

"They wouldn't dare." An adviser said, to clarify, the guard spoke.

"They need her to sign a treaty to make this invasion legal. They can't afford to kill her."

As they were debating about this, Natasha noticed a box shaped black and yellow droid around the hangar door compressing garbage. Thinking of a plan, she tried to get the droid's attention.

"Psst! Hey, you!" She whispered gaining the droid's attention, it looked around and pointed to itself to make sure she was talking to it. "Yes, you. We need to escape on that ship. Can you distract them for us?" As an answer, the little droid saluted before it rolled off to the circle of battle droids. It then rushed to them and knocked them all down before treading over their heads and shutting them down.

The droid gave a whistle like sound giving Natasha the all clear. "Everyone, the coast's clear, let's go." She informed as they rushed to the large silver ship. Unfortunately, more droids came and caused more trouble. In the midst of the chaos, Nairbix and the Jedi created an opening for the queen and her handmaidens to get aboard.

"Well, come on then!" Natasha shouted to the helpful little droid who eagerly boarded the ship before it took off.

"There's the blockade." Nairbix said as they were leaving Naboo. The stations then began to fire at them only to take out the ship's shield generator. In order to fix it, five astro-droids went out to repair the damage.

"We're losing droids fast." Obi-Wan stated as each droid was being shot at save for one blue one. It was the same droid that restored power to the shields and allow the ship to escape.

"We're losing power, the hyperdrive's leaking." The pilot informed.

"We'll have to land somewhere to refuel and repair the ship." Qui-Gon stated.

"Here, Master, Tatooine." Obi-Wan suggested. "It's small, out of the way and poor. The Trade Federation have no presence there."

"How can you be sure?" Nairbix asked.

"It's controlled by the Hutts." Qui-Gon replied.

"You can't take Her Royal Highness there. The Hutts are gangsters!" The guard exclaimed.

"It'd be no different than if we landed on a system controlled by the Federation." Natasha pointed put with the new droid at her side.

"Plus, the Hutts aren't looking for her, which gives us the advantage." Qui-Gon added setting the course.

Back with the Viceroy, he was having another conversation with Lord Sidious. "Has Queen Amidala signed the treaty?" He asked showing no emotion.

"She has disappeared, my lord." Gunray admitted.

"I want that treaty signed!" The dark figured snarled.

"My lord…it's impossible to locate the ship. It's out of our range." He reasoned.

"Not for a Sith." Sidious replied as another cloaked figure walked into view from behind. Like his master, he wore black robes, but he had a frightening black and red face and yellow eyes. "This is my apprentice, Darth Maul. He will find your lost ship." And with that, the transmission ended.

Back on the Naboo ship, the little blue, round droid was being congratulated for its assistance by the queen with the two Jedi and their new friends observing.

"An extremely well-put-together little droid, Your Highness." The guard said, "Without a doubt, it saved the ship as well as our lives."

"It is to be commended. What is its number?" The queen asked.

"R2-D2, Your Highness."

"Thank you, R2-D2."

"Your Highness." Natasha added, "There is another droid that provided us with assistance before we left Naboo. Without it, we may have lost more than we had." She said as she petted the droid's head from behind her leg.

"What is it called?" The queen asked. Before Natasha could answer, the little droid rolled up to the queen with its claws folded together nervously and answered.

"W-Wall-E." It said earning chuckles from everyone in the room.

"Then you have our thanks as well, Wall-E. Padme." The queen said as one of her handmaidens stepped forward. "Clean this droid up as best you can. It deserves our gratitude." She said indicating to the whistling and beeping R2 unit.

"Your Highness, with your permission, we're heading for a remote planet called Tatooine." Qui-Gon informed. "It's in a system far beyond the reach of the Trade Federation. You must trust my judgment, Your Highness."

In another room, Padme was cleaning R2 as she was told only to be interrupted by Nairbix, Natasha, Jar Jar and Wall-E.

"Hello." Jar Jar greeted, "Husa are yousa?"

"I'm Padme." She greeted.

"Mesa Jar Jar Binks."

"I'm Princess Natasha Romanoff."

"And I'm Nairbix VanSull, the living manifestation and embodiment of Narnia's firstborn darkness." Nairbix greeted with a bow.

"You're a Gungan, aren't you?" She asked looking at Jar Jar who nodded kindly.

"How'd the three of you end up here with us?" Padme asked.

"My no know. Mesa day starten pitty okeyday witda brisky morning munchen. Den boom! Getten berry scared and grabben dat Jedi and Nairbix, and pow-mesa here." Jar Jar explained.

"We're here because Princess cherry head here decided to use the two of us as test subjects for her new transporting device." Nairbix said jerking his thumb at Natasha who retaliated by shoving him to the ground.

Soon the ship landed near the outskirts of a settlement on Tatooine, after discovering that the hyperdrive was too damaged, Qui-Gon, Jar Jar, Nairbix, Natasha, R2 and Wall-E left in order to find replacement parts.

"Wait!" The captain shouted from behind with Padme at his side. "Her Highness commands you to take her handmaiden with you."

"No more commands from Her Highness today, Captain." Qui-Gon refused. "The spaceport is not going to be pleasant."

"The queen wishes it. She's curious about the planet."

Qui-Gon sighed and said, "This is not a good idea. Stay close to me." And with that, the party of seven continued their way, once they were in the settlement, Qui-Gon began to describe the planet. "Moisture farms, for the most part. Some indigenous tribes and scavengers. The few spaceports like this one are havens for those that don't wish to be found."

"Yeah, like us." Nairbix joked earning a glare from Natasha.

"Dissen berry berry bad." Jar Jar stated before he stepped in a pile of poop left by some creature. "Oh, icky icky goo!"

"We should try one of the smaller dealers." Nairbix suggested as they walked around looking for a place that sold parts. They then noticed one and entered to find the shop a mess and the owner behind the desk.

He was an ugly looking blue incect like creature. "How can I help you?" He asked in a gruff voice.

"I need parts for a J-type 327 Nubian." Qui-Gon informed.

"Ah, yes! Nubian. We have lots of that. Boy, get in here now!" He shouted, as called, a young blonde boy dressed in white rushed in ready to obey his owner.

"My droid has a readout of what I need."

"Watch the store. I've got some selling to do." The owner said hotly to the boy while he and Qui Gon left to discuss business.

"Are you an angel?" The boy asked Padme earning some sly looks from the other two.

"What?" She asked.

"An angel. I heard the deep space pilots talk about them. They're the most beautiful creatures in the universe. They live on the moons of lego, I think." He said.

"You're a funny little boy." Padme said with amusement. "How do you know so much?" She asked.

"I listen to all the traders and star pilots who come through here." He replied. "I'm a pilot, you know, and someday I'm gonna fly away from this place."

"You're a pilot?" Natasha asked.

"All my life." The boy said trying to sound cool.

"So, how long have you been here?" Nairbix asked.

"Since I was very little. Three, I think. My mom and I were sold to Gardulla the Hutt, but she lost us betting on the Podraces."

"You're a slave?" Padme asked while Nairbix grew angry.

"I'm a person, and my name is Anakin." He said hotly.

"I'm sorry." Padme said gently. "I don't fully understand. This place is strange to me." Off to the side, Jar Jar was messing around with an old droid and making another mess.

"Say, Anakin?" Natasha asked.

"Yeah?"

"Can you identify this little guy for me?" She asked pointing to Wall-E.

"Sure, he's a garbage compressing droid. His model runs on solar power and uses his body to gather trash and turn it into cubes of garbage. It also has a built in laser to cut through metal and can record sounds and detect dangerous weather conditions." Anakin informed.

"Do you think it's possible to give him the same gear as R2 has?" She asked as she put her hand on the little blue droid.

"Sure, it's easy. I can do it for you if you want, it'll only take me a couple of minutes." He said, true to his word, it only took the boy several minutes to turn Wall-E into an astromech droid, as soon as he was finished, Qui-Gon came back empty handed.

"We're leaving."

"Nice meeting you, Anakin." Padme said as the others waved goodbye.

"Nice meeting you too." He called back as they left. Once they were out of the way of unwanted ears and eyes, Qui-Gon contacted Obi-Wan to see if they had anything that would grant them the amount of money necessary for a new hyperdrive.

As they were about to continue, Jar Jar stopped Qui-Gon. "Noah gain! Noah gain! Da beings hereabouts, cawazy!" He exclaimed. "Wesa be wobbed un crunched!"

"Not likely. We have nothing of value. That's our problem." Qui-Gon stated. As they entered the streets, Jar Jar once again caused trouble by trying to sneak a dead alien that was apparently food in his mouth. The owner of the stand quickly got onto him and caused Jar Jar to spit out the food only for it to go flying into some hot tempered alien's soup.

Thankfully, Anakin showed up and managed to make the alien angrier at him than Jar Jar and leave.

"Hi." He said as Qui-Gon walked up to him.

"Hi there."

"Your buddy here was about to be turned into orange goo. He picked a fight with a Dug, an especially dangerous Dug called Sebulba." He explained as Nairbix helped the Gungan up.

"Mesa haten crunchen. Das da las ting mesa want."

"Nevertheless, the boy is right. You were heading into trouble." Qui-Gon scolded.

"Thanks again, Anakin." Natasha said as they continued to walk away, oddly enough, Anakin followed them. While they were at another food stand, the woman who owned it warned them that a sandstorm was approaching.

"Do you have shelter?" Anakin asked the group.

"We have our ship." Nairbix answered.

"Is it far?"

"It's on the outskirts." Padme replied.

"You'll never make it. Sandstorms are very, very dangerous. Come on, I'll take you to my place." Once they made it to his home, Anakin called to his mother as their guest filled the little room. "These are my friends, Mom."

"Hello." Jar Jar, Natasha and Nairbix greeted while Wall-E waved his little claw.

"I'm Qui-Gon Jinn. Your son was kind enough to offer us shelter."

"I'm building a droid, you wanna see?" He asked his younger friends. "Come on. I'll show you 3PO." He dragged them all to another room to see a tall uncovered droid. "Isn't he great? He's not finished yet."

"Very impressive." Nairbix complemented.

"He's a protocol droid to help Mom. Watch." He said as he turned on his creation.

"Oh, where is everybody?" The droid asked in a proper voice. Anakin realized that he forgot to insert another eye and quickly fixed his mistake. "Oh, hello. I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations." The droid greeted. "How might I serve you?"

"When the storm is over, I'll show you my racer. I'm building a Podracer." He said proudly. Later on at dinner, Anakin's mother, Shimi was explaining the conns of being a slave on Tatooine.

"All slaves have a transmitter placed inside their bodies somewhere."

"I've been working on a scanner to try and locate mine." Anakin informed hoping to impress his friends.

"Any attempt to escape-"

"And they blow you up!"

"How rude." Jar Jar commented.

"I can't believe there's still slavery in the galaxy." Padme stated. "The Republic's antislavery laws-"

"The Republic doesn't exist out here." Shimi cutoff sadly while Jar Jar snatched a piece of fruit with his tongue. "We must survive on our own."

"Has anybody seen a Podrace?" Anakin asked changing the subject.

"They have Podracing on Malastare. Very fast, very dangerous." Qui-Gon informed.

"I'm the only human who can do it." Anakin stated proudly.

"You must have Jedi reflexes if you race pods." Qui-Gon replied.

"Or the reflexes of a wielder of the Keyblade." Nairbix added earning a confused look from the boy.

"What's a Keyblade?" He asked before Nairbix summoned his weapon.

"This is a Keyblade. It's a very powerful weapon used to maintain peace and order amongst all worlds." He explained.

"It's really cool. Do they all look like this?" Anakin asked.

"Nope, each Keyblade is as unique as its wielder. Mine is called Heartbreaker, and like me, it's made of pure darkness. But also like me, it uses the power of darkness for good, light and darkness are equally capable of doing both good and evil. It just comes down to who uses it." Nairbix explained as Jar Jar tried to use his tongue again only for it to be caught by Qui-Gon and his Jedi reflexes.

"Don't do that again." He ordered calmly.

"You're a Jedi knight, aren't you?" Anakin asked Qui-Gon.

"What makes you think that?" The older man asked.

"I saw your laser sword. Only Jedi carry that kind of weapon." He replied.

"Perhaps I killed a Jedi and took it from him." Qui-Gon teased.

"I don't think so." Anakin denied, "No one can kill a Jedi."

"I wish that were so." Qui-Gon said sadly thinking of all the late Jedi he once knew.

"I had a dream I was a Jedi. I came back here and freed all the slaves. Have you come to free us?" Anakin asked with hope.

"No, I'm afraid not." Qui-Gon said gently, but Anakin wouldn't accept that.

"I think you have. Why else would you be here?" He asked. Everyone hesitated to answer knowing well that it was a touchy and top secret subject.

"I can see there's no fooling you, Anakin." Qui-Gon began, "We're on our way to Coruscant, the central system in the Republic on a very important mission."

"How did you end up here in the outer rim?" He asked.

"Our ship was damaged, and we're stranded here until we can repair it." Padme replied.

"Wait, Nairbix, couldn't you make a corridor to take us there?" Natasha asked.

"I could, but we'd have to leave the ship behind and if there are any Federation spies around here, then they would know that we were here and wait for us. Besides I have no idea where Coruscant is or what it looks like, for that matter so I wouldn't be able to take us there." Nairbix replied.

"What if I could show you all of that in your mind?" Qui-Gon asked. "Would you be able to take us there, then?"

"It'd be risky, Corridors of Darkness aren't made to transport groups of people, just usually one person. And even if I could keep one open for that long, I might not be able to do it again anytime soon if need be. Our safest bet is our plan now." Nairbix informed dropping the subject.

"I can help." Anakin announced. "I can fix anything."

"I believe you can." Qui-Gon encouraged, "But first we must acquire the parts we need."

"Wit no-nutten mula to trade." Jar Jar added.

"These junk dealers must have a weakness of some kind." Padme hoped.

"Gambling." Shimi replied, "Everything here revolves betting on those awful races."

"Podracing. Greed can be a powerful ally for us." Nairbix said with a smirk.

"I built a racer. It's the fastest ever." Anakin informed. "There's a big race tomorrow on Boonta Eve. You could enter my pod." He offered.

"Anakin, Watto won't let you." His mother reminded as she thought about their owner.

"Watto doesn't know I've built it." He argued before turning to Qui-Gon. "You could make him think it was yours and get him to let me pilot it for you."

"I don't want you to race." Shimi argued back. "It's awful. I die every time Watto makes you do it."

"But, Mom I love it. The prize would be more than pay for the parts they need."

"Is there anyone friendly to the Republic who can help us?" Natasha asked only to receive no as her answer.

"I guess, we'll just have to find another way." Nairbix said as he slumped in his chair.

"No, there is no other way." Shimi corrected. "I may not like it, but he can help you. He was meant to help you."

The next day, Qui-Gon was able to convince Watto to let Anakin race for him before they spent the day readying the pod Anakin built. Once the suns were setting, Natasha and Nairbix were having one of their usual chats.

"Nairbix," Natasha asked. "Why have you been talking about the Keyblade around Anakin so much?" Nairbix paused for a moment before answering.

"I don't know what it is, but something tells me that Anakin just may be able to wield a Keyblade."

"What?" The princess asked in shock. "What makes you think that?"

"I'm not sure. Anyway, I hope to be able to perform the ceremony with him before Qui-Gon gets to him." He replied.

"Qui-Gon?"

"He thinks that Anakin could also become a Jedi. I've heard him talk about it with Obi-Wan lately. He might be able to be either one, but it all depends on the boy's decision. There's something else, though."

"What is it?"

"Call it a gut feeling. But I believe that Anakin would be better off as a wielder of the Keyblade than a Jedi." He said mysteriously.

The following morning, the big race was about to begin. As the children, Gungan and two droids were gazing at the competing racers and their pods, Qui-Gon was having yet another discussion with Watto.

"I want to see your spaceship the moment the race is over." Watto ordered the calm Jedi.

"Patience, my blue friend. You'll have your winnings before the suns set. And we'll be far away from here." He said evenly.

"Not if your ship belongs to me, I think, huh?" Watto laughed, "I warn you, no funny business."

"You don't think Anakin can win the race?" Nairbix asked.

"Don't get me wrong, no. I have great faith in the boy." Watto replied, "He's a credit to your race but, uh, Sebulba there is going to win, I think."

"Why do you think that?" Qui-Gon asks.

"He always wins." Watto answered with another chuckle. "I'm betting heavily on Sebulba."

"We'll take that bet." Natasha declared.

"You what?" Watto asked.

"I'll wager my new racing pod against, say…the boy and his mother." Qui-Gon added.

"No pod is worth two slaves, not by a long shot." Watto denied.

"The boy, then." Nairbix wagered, Watto thought for a moment before coming to a decision.

"We'll let fate decide, huh?" He asked. "I happen to have a chance cube here. Blue, it's the boy. Red, it's his mother." He then rolled the dice and thanks to Qui-Gon and the Force, it landed blue. "You won this small toss, outlander, but you won't win the race!"

"This is so cool, Ani!" One of Anakin's friends exclaimed, "I'm sure you do it this time."

"Do what?" Padme asked as Nairbix and Natasha walked over to them.

"Finish the race, of course." The child replied.

"You've never won a race?" Padme asked dreadfully.

"Well, not exactly." Anakin admitted.

"Not even finished?" Natasha groaned.

"I will this time." He declared.

"Of course you will." Qui-Gon said from behind before they walked off leaving the trio.

"Well, we're boned." Nairbix said bluntly.

Thankfully, the young Narnian was wrong! It was a close race, but Anakin was able to pull through and humiliate Sebulba as an added bonus. Once they received the necessary parts, Qui-Gon took them to the ship and informed his Padawan of their new companion. After a while, Qui-Gon and Anakin were rushing to get back to the ship, both Nairbix and Natasha were standing outside waiting for their friends to return.

"Well, looks like you lost, Nairbix. He's chosen the Jedi life." Natasha said with a smirk, but Nairbix said nothing as he noticed a speeder coming up from behind. Its rider quickly jumped off and attacked Qui-Gon with a red lightsaber, it was Darth Maul! Nairbix then rushed over to assist the Jedi by blocking Maul's attack with his Keyblade.

"Impossible." The Sith muttered as he witnessed the block. Normally, a lightsaber will cut through anything other than another lightsaber's blade. But not against a Keyblade.

"Nothing's impossible." Nairbix retorted with a wicked smirk. He then pushed off Maul and shouted at Qui-Gon, "Go, I'll cover you. Tell them to take off!" As the two clashed, the ship flew low enough for Nairbix to jump on the open platform as they escaped.

"Are you alright?" Anakin asked as they all checked on the Narnian.

"I'm fine. Whoever he was, he was very skilled." Nairbix commented as his dismissed Heartbreaker.

"And in the Jedi arts, as well." Qui-Gon added. "My guess it was after the queen."

"What should we do now?" Anakin asked.

"We should be patient." Qui-Gon replied, "Anakin Skywalker, meet Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Hi." Anakin said as they shook hands. "You're a Jedi too? Pleased to meet you."

After a long flight through the stars, the party finally made it to the great planet city of Coruscant. They then landed to meet an older man known as Senator Palpatine of Naboo along with Chancellor Valorum.

"It is a great gift to see you alive, Your Majesty." Palpatine greeted. "With the communications breakdown, we've been very concerned. I'm anxious to hear your report on the situation. May I present Supreme Chancellor Valorum."

"Welcome, Your Highness. It's an honor to finally meet you in person." The chancellor greeted.

"Thank you, Supreme Chancellor." The queen replied.

Later on, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan escorted Nairbix, Natasha and Wall-E to the Jedi temple in order to inform the Jedi council of the past events. In the council chamber, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stood before their masters as they described their attacker.

"He was trained in the Jedi arts." Qui-Gon announced, "My only conclusion can be that it was a Sith lord."

"Impossible." One of the masters denied, "The Sith have been extinct for a millennium." Then, a dark skinned master named Mace Windu added his thoughts.

"I do not believe the Sith could have returned without us knowing."

"Ah, hard to see, the dark side is." The oldest and smallest master said. He had wisps of white hair, long ears, and green skin and his name was Yoda.

"We will use all our resources to unravel this mystery." Windu added, "We will discover the identity of your attacker. May the Force be with you." Before they could leave, Yoda stopped them.

"Master Qui-Gon." He addressed, "More to say have you?"

"With your permission, my master. I have encountered a vergence in the Force." He informed.

"A vergence, you say?" Yoda asked.

"Located around a person?" Windu asked.

"A boy." Qui-Gon clarified, "His cells have the highest midi-chlorians I have seen in a life-form. It is possible he was conceived by the midi-chlorians."

"You refer to the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the Force. You believe it's this boy?" Windu asked.

"I don't presume to-"

"But you do." Yoda cut in. "Reveled your opinion is."

"I request the boy be tested, Master." Qui-Gon said to the little creature.

"Oh? Trained as a Jedi you request for him, hmm?" Yoda asked.

"There's more that you should know." He added, "Before we landed on Naboo, we encountered two children that have been traveling with us. One of them possess a powerful weapon known as a Keyblade."

"A Keyblade?" Windu asked.

"Yes, Master." Obi-Wan replied, "From what he has told us, wielders of the Keyblade are found in another galaxy entirely and follow a duty similar to that of the Jedi."

"If from another galaxy they are, to ours how did they come?" Yoda asked.

"The girl, Princess Natasha Romanoff built a transportation device that sent them here by mistake. From what Nairbix has told us, wielders of the Keyblade only have one difference when it comes to their ways." Qui-Gon added.

"And what is that?" Windu asked.

"Unlike the Jedi, they hold onto their emotions and use them to give themselves strength. They do not detach themselves like we do. However, Nairbix has proved to be very powerful, he was able to easily hold off the Sith on Tatooine."

"And you see this boy as a threat?" Windu asked.

"An ally. A very powerful ally who cherishes his friends and would die for them." Qui-Gon corrected.

"Hmm, holding onto these feelings is reckless." Yoda inquired.

"In the eyes of you Jedi." Nairbix defended as he and Natasha barged into the room.

"You have not been allowed before this council." Windu growled.

"That may be true, but I will not stand by while you disrespect the ways of my teachings and those who have fought and died following them." Nairbix retorted. "We do not detach ourselves from our emotions like you do. We embrace them, they give us strength to protect those we cherish. You have your own teachings, and I have mine. I suggest you learn to accept and respect other people's decisions, Master Jedi." Nairbix remarked as he and Natasha left the room.

Later as day turned to night, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Anakin met up with the others to escort the queen back to Naboo.

"So how did it go with Anakin?" Natasha asked Qui-Gon.

"The council refuses to have him trained. They believe that he is too old and dangerous."

"Dangerous? He hasn't even begun his training and they've deemed him dangerous?" Nairbix asked bewildered.

"Indeed." Qui-Gon replied as the queen walked to the ship.

"Wesa goin home!" Jar Jar shouted in glee as they all boarded. After they flew back to Naboo and landed on the surface, Jar Jar left for the Gungan City to convince the Gungan army to help oppose the Federation's army of droids. Obi-Wan notified his master as soon as it happened.

"I'm-I'm sorry for my behavior, Master." Obi-Wan said regarding to what they discussed back on Coruscant. "It's not my place to disagree with you about the boy. And I am grateful you think I'm ready to take the trials."

"You've been a good apprentice, Obi-Wan. And you are a much wiser man than I am. I foresee you will become a great Jedi knight." Qui-Gon said sincerely. A moment later, Jar Jar rose from the nearby body of water.

"Desa nobody dare." He informed, "The Gungan city is deserted. Some kinda fight, mesa tinks."

"Do you think they've been taken to the camps?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Mesa no tink so." Jar Jar denied.

"Do you know where they are, Jar Jar?" Natasha asked.

"When in trouble, Gungans go to sacred place. Mesa show you. Come on. Mesa show you!" He said leading them to their next destination. In another part of the jungle, Gungans filled the area and none of them looked too happy. Captain Tarpals, spotted them and escorted the party to Boss Nass.

"Uh, h-heyo dadee, Big Boss Nass, You Honor." Jar Jar greeted nervously.

"Jar Jar Binks." Nass addressed from a stone perch. "Who's da others?" He asked as he pointed to the Naboo.

"I am Queen Amidala of the Naboo." The queen greeted, "I come before you in peace."

"Yousa bringen da machines." Nass accused, "Yousa all bombad."

"We have searched you out because we wish to form an alliance." She offered, just then, Padme stepped forward and addressed the Gungan boss.

"Your Honor. I am Queen Amidala." She said surprising all but the Naboo. "This is my decoy, my protection, my loyal bodyguard. I'm sorry for my deception, but it was necessary to protect myself. Although we do not always agree, Your Honor, our two great societies have always lived in peace. The Trade Federation has destroyed all that we have worked so hard to build. If we do not act quickly, all will be lost forever. I beg you to help us." She pleaded as she bowed, "We are your humble servants." She added as everyone else bowed with her. "Our fate is in your hands."

Nass thought for a moment before he started to laugh. "Yousa no tinken yousa greater den da Gungans? Mesa likea dis! Maybe wesa…bein friends." He said happily before blubbering again.

After formulating a plan, Nairbix left with the now General Jar Jar to fight with the Gungans against the droids while Natasha and the Jedi would go with Padme to capture the Viceroy.

"Starting up the shields!" Tarpals shouted to his troops once they reached the battlefield. After the shield came up, the droid army came from over the hills and fired at their enemies.

Back in the city, the others attempted to sneak to the castle. Qui-Gon crouched down to Anakin's level and said, "Once we get inside, find a place to hide and stay there."

"Sure." He replied.

"Stay there." The Jedi repeated. They then rushed to the hangar after evading the droid's attack and successfully launched the fighter pilots into space. Except for one whose ship now contained Anakin and R2.

Back with the Gungans, the droids ceased their fire and unleashed their troops to pass through the shield. Once they made it through, the battle finally began.

"Ouch time." Nairbix said as they passed through. Once the hangar was no longer filled with droids, the party made their way to the throne room. But once they came close to the door, it opened to reveal Darth Maul.

"We'll handle this." Qui-Gon said as he, Obi-Wan and Natasha readied their weapons.

"Natasha, where did you get that?" Obi-Wan asked as he noticed she had her own green lightsaber.

"I stole it from the temple." She replied bluntly as the Force users took off their cloaks and ignited their weapons. Maul however had a little surprise, his lightsaber had two ends. From behind, three destroyer droids rolled up and fired at the others only to be blasted by Anakin in the cockpit of his ship.

Obi-Wan then jumped over Maul to attack only for it to be deflected as he blocked Qui-Gon and Natasha's attacks from the front as well. They then rushed into the power room and skillfully attacked Maul, but he was still able to deflect their attacks. As they reached higher ground, Maul knocked Obi-Wan down to a lower level while Natasha and Qui-Gon still attacked him.

But as they were rushing each other, the force field hallway before the main power grid activated and trapped all three of them on different sides. Since Natasha wasn't as fast as Qui-Gon, she was stuck with Obi-Wan at the beginning of the hall while the other two were in the middle separated by only one field.

Qui-Gon then began to meditate as to wait for the wall to lift. Just before they deactivated, Obi-Wan and Natasha lit their lightsabers and rushed to join Qui-Gon, but the last door activated before them again.

It was still Maul against Qui-Gon, as they clashed, Maul gained the upper hand and stabbed the Jedi master in the solar plexus bringing him to the ground to die.

"No!" Obi-Wan shouted at the sight of his fallen master. Maul looked to them as anger grew inside them both. As the door deactivated, Obi-Wan rushed to attack Maul while Natasha tried to treat Qui-Gon with her magic.

"Hold on, Qui-Gon." She muttered, but he quickly stopped her.

"No-no, my time has come." He wheezed, "You must help Obi-Wan."

"But how? My skills can't compete with a Sith's." She argued.

"Perhaps not in your current state. But I can change that." He then pressed two of his fingers to Natasha's head and softly said, "May the Force guide you." Then, all of his experience and knowledge of the Force was transferred to the young princess's mind. As this happened, Maul was able to knock Obi-Wan into the hole in the floor, thankfully, he was able to hold on to a bulb.

Natasha looked up at the Sith with furry as she stood to face her foe. With her newfound powers, she used the Force to pick up Qui-Gon's lightsaber and unleash her assault. Seeing the moment, Obi-Wan jumped from the hole to help his friend. He then kicked Maul in the face causing him to drop his lightsaber.

Natasha picked it up, tossed Qui-Gon's to Obi-Wan and in a simultaneous attack from both sides, they sliced Darth Maul in half causing him to fall to his death. They then rushed over to Qui-Gon's body only to find his life fading away.

"It's too late." He muttered.

"No." Obi-Wan denied as he cradled his master's head.

"Obi-Wan. Promise-promise me you will train the boy." He pleaded.

"Yes, Master." He wept.

"He is the chosen one. He will bring balance. Train him. Natasha." He said looking to his successor. "Become strong. Guide your people well. May the Force be with you, always." With his last breath, Qui-Gon Jinn became one with the Force. Natasha then stood up and used the Force to disassemble both Darth Maul's and Qui-Gon's lightsabers. She then switched the two crystals that powered the weapons and reassembled Qui-Gon's weapon.

"What did you do?" Obi-Wan asked through his tears as Natasha lit her now red lightsaber.

"Where I come from, we respect the fallen. Even our enemies. As a Jedi, I will use the crystal of my fallen foe's weapon to power his victim and my fallen friend's weapon." She replied with her back turned.

The next day, after the battle was won, the newly elected Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and the Jedi council arrived to congratulate the victors. As the sun began to set, Yoda was having a conversation with both Obi-Wan and Natasha who was now dressed in red and black Jedi robes.

"Confer on you the level of Jedi knight the council does." He said to Obi-Wan, "But agree with you taking this boy as your Padawan learner I do not!"

"Qui-Gon believed in him." Obi-Wan argued gently.

"Sigh, the chosen one the boy may be. Nevertheless, grave danger I fear in his training." Yoda warned hotly.

"Master Yoda, I gave Qui-Gon my word." Obi-Wan stressed, "I will train Anakin. Without the approval of the council, if I must."

"Qui-Gon's defiance I sense in you. Need that you do not." Yoda said bitterly. "Agree with you the council does. Your apprentice Skywalker will be."

"Master Yoda." Natasha said softly, "What will become of me after what Qui-Gon has done?"

"Hmm, great power I sense in you. Power of Qui-Gon and your own mixed together." Yoda said as he continued his pacing. "Great perils I sense in the future. You and your friend's help we may need."

"If that time does come and we are able to return, we shall." Natasha said firmly.

"And when you do, after training in the Jedi way you have…welcome you we will to the Jedi order and to the council as master, if accepted." Yoda replied, Natasha bowed and gave her answer.

"It would be an honor, Master." That night, the cremation ceremony of Qui-Gon took place, all those who knew him attended and mourned over his loss. Nairbix, Natasha and Wall-E stood close enough to Yoda and Windu to hear what they were discussing.

"There's no doubt the mysterious warrior was a Sith." Windu said to the green master.

"Hmm. Always two there are. No more no less. A master and an apprentice." Yoda reminded.

"But which was destroyed? The master or the apprentice?"

The next day, a great celebration and parade was held in the streets of the Naboo city. The Gungans filled the air with music and joyous laughter as the crowds cheered them on. Boss Nass and Jar Jar walked up to meet Padme dressed in her royal robes with her friends surrounding them. She then presented Nass with a large glowing sphere, he gratefully took it and raised it above his head and shouted to all those who lived on Naboo, "Peace!"

Later on as the festivities continued, the long awaited goodbye came for the group of friends.

"Yousa goin bye-bye?" Jar Jar asked sadly to his friends.

"Yeah, Jar Jar. We are." Nairbix said before hugging his Gungan friend followed by Natasha.

"It has been an honor to fight alongside the both of you." Obi-Wan thanked with a bow. "We will miss you until you return. I know Qui-Gon chose well." He said before they exchanged hugs. Wall-E and R2 quickly said their goodbyes the way only droids could before they parted ways.

As they were walking away, Natasha began to speak. "So, you still think he should be a wielder of the Keyblade?"

"For some reason, yes. Only time will tell why I feel this way, though." Nairbix replied as he opened a corridor for the three of them.

Though they didn't know it yet, things would have turned out better in the future if Anakin had not become a Jedi. Once they were back in Radiant Garden, Natasha was quickly embraced by her family.

"Where have you been, young lady?!" Ansem exclaimed as he gripped Natasha's shoulders.

"Nairbix and I were in another galaxy helping others in need." She said innocently.

"And what are you wearing?" Her mother the queen asked once she noticed her robes and her lightsaber.

"Well, long story short, I've become a Jedi." She said bluntly.

"Sis, what's a Jedi?" Her younger brother asked, she then spent about ten minutes describing the Force and Jedi to her family earning different looks from each of them.

"That…is so cool!" Her brother said with stars in his eyes. Natasha rolled her eyes and patted her sibling's head.

"Thanks, Lea." She said with a soft giggle.

"Well, I'm sure you'll have loads to talk about regarding our little adventure, Natasha. But I've got to get back to the tower, my master and Mickey are probably worried." Nairbix said to them.

"Okay, see ya around, Nairbix." Natasha said as she gave him a hug that made his heart flutter. He then opened a corridor and made his way home. When he arrived, instead of receiving the cold glare from his master's eyes, Nairbix found him sitting calmly at his desk drinking tea with Mickey.

"Master, I'm back." He said sheepishly.

"Welcome home, Nairbix. I trust that you enjoyed your visit to Radiant Garden?" Yen Sid asked, Nairbix then explained what had happened and awaited his punishment. "Hmm, it seems that you had another grand adventure, my young apprentice."

"Wait?" Nairbix asked confused, "You aren't mad?"

"No, I can see that you are telling the truth and since you were able to help so many, I am actually very proud of what you and your friend have done. Go to your room and rest, tomorrow, I will inform you of your agenda." And with that, Nairbix did as he was told.

"Looks like Nairbix just can't stay out of trouble, huh, Master?" Mickey asked with his signature chuckle.

"Yes indeed. And from what I have sensed and seen from his training, I believe he is ready." Yen Sid replied.

"Ready for what, Master?" Mickey asked as Yen Sid looked his student straight in the eyes.

"To show us the Mark of Mastery."

 **Oh, yeah! That's what happened! Natasha is a Jedi who has all of Qui-Gon Jin's knowledge and experience over the Force along with the parts of his lightsaber powered by Darth Maul's crystal! Obviously, this means that the majority of this story will take place during the Clone Wars. From Episode II all the way through till the end of Episode III including the T.V. show. And yes, there is a very good reason why I made it where Nairbix thought Anakin could be a wielder of the Keyblade and no, that will not be the last time he thinks someone in that galaxy can. But I won't say until he performs the ceremony on them (the same one Terra did on Riku in BBS).**

 **And yes, I have made Lea (Axel) Natasha's little brother. Now, I may have gotten his age wrong, but I really don't care. And if you think about it, so far, they haven't revealed Lea's complete backstory in K.H. and since he has red hair he is undoubtedly related to Kairi in some way.**

 **As for Natasha's Jedi appearance, look up Star Killer's hooded white robes from Force Unleashed and picture the white parts dark red. I bet you also didn't expect me to include Wall-E, huh? Yes, he's Natasha's astro-mech droid and will have an important role when we get to the Clone Wars. And we will be seeing Nairbix's Mark of Mastery again but with more details about what it means to be a master afterwards as well as where Nairbix will be living.**

 **I will warn you, it's a little bit funny in an "of course he lives there" kinda way.**


	10. The Mark and Territory

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or anything Disney. Enjoy the chapter and I hope you like my little twist.**

The next day, Yen Sid called both of his apprentices to his study to tell them of the glorious and honorable event that would take place. As they stood at attention before him, Yen Sid looked at his students with pride before he began to speak.

"Now, my young students, we are fortunate to witness a most proud moment for wielders of the Keyblade, today we shall witness the Mark of Mastery. Only one of you has proven worthy to take this Mark. Though both of you has proven over your years of training, that you are both remarkable wielders of the Keyblade. Step forward, Nairbix." Yen Sid said to his pupil who did as he was asked.

"Your Mark of Mastery shall be combat. You may use any technique that you wish to use, you shall be fighting with a creature that will stop at nothing to ensure that you do not pass this test. What you must do, is defeat it. Once you have done that, I shall promote you to the rank of Master of the Keyblade."

"Master, what is this creature that I shall be facing?" Nairbix asked.

With a raise of his arm, Yen Sid opened his hand in order to cast a spell and shouted, "Light!"

And with that Nairbix was sent into a completely different place. It was wide blue canyon crater and in front of him was someone who looked exactly like him only his black jacket and hair was white and his eyes were a crazed red, in his hand was just a simple white sword.

"You don't deserve that power!" The doppelganger said with a crazed voice and look as it rushed in to attack Nairbix. "You are nothing but darkness, you have no light in you at all! Even your filthy Keyblade is pure darkness! You should just be destroyed!"

"And you are just like everyone else that relies too much on light, too blinded by it to actually see someone for who they are if they have more darkness in their heart than you do. Judging someone before you even know them is just pathetic and stereotypical." Nairbix said trying to anger his opponent as he easily fended off its attacks.

"Silence, darkness spawn!" The fake then charged Nairbix with an unbelievable speed, but to him it was a snail's pace. He raised his Keyblade with a bored expression and blocked the attack.

"Don't you realize that I am you?! I am who you would have been if you were filled with nothing but light!" It declared.

"So that means, I either have to accept you or repel you. I choose to repel you, because if I accept you than I accept that I can easily become you." Nairbix said shoving off the doppelganger and slicing it across the chest causing blood to burst from the wound. It then fell to the ground as it eyes became lifeless and filled with shock.

"This was too easy." Nairbix said suspiciously looking around for something else to attack. Just then rumbling could be felt and heard, over across the crater he could see what looked like a skeleton hand grab the cliffs like it was pulling its body up. He then saw a giant angel that was missing half of its flesh on one side while the other side had all of its flesh and one eye closed.

"Darkness must be eliminated!" It cried without moving its mouth.

"Heh, now it gets interesting." Nairbix said with a wicked smirk. He began to run towards the monster with an even faster speed than the doppelganger. The monster then slammed its skeleton hand on the ground trying to crush Nairbix but failing as he saw this as an opening. He jumped on the arm and ran up towards the head to hit it with his Keyblade, after he made contact the monster slammed face first onto the ground leaving Nairbix smiling evilly while floating in midair. He then closed his hand only leaving his index and middle finger up and pressed together.

With his hand lifted to where it was just below his chin, he shot his arm up quickly so his hand was above his face. This caused a massive explosion in the crater with the fallen angel taking its destructive power. The blast was like a geyser of purple energy with a black outline shooting up into the sky destroying the monstrous angel.

"Again, this was too easy." Nairbix said very bored. Then in a flash of light he was back in the study about to receive his Master's decision.

"Nairbix, you have shown your strength in combat, resolve, and order. The beast you faced was one that represented those who stray too far into light and are blinded by it, you have shown that you shall maintain the balance of light and darkness. So it is with great pride and happiness, that I promote you, Nairbix VanSull, to Keyblade Master." Yen Sid said with a proud smile.

"Way to go, pal!" Mickey shouted as he tackled his friend with a hug.

"I'm actually a master now?" Nairbix asked as it finally sunk in.

"Indeed you are, my former apprentice." Yen Sid replied as he smiled at the new master.

"I knew you could do it, Nairbix!" Mickey exclaimed happily, "Never doubted you for a second."

"Thanks, Mickey. Um, Master?" Nairbix asked, "Would it be alright if I leave to tell my mother and my other friends?" But Yen Sid just raised his hand with an amused smirk.

"You may do as you wish, Nairbix. I no longer hold any authority over you. You now hold the same rank as I, you and I are now equals. You do not need my permission."

"Thank you, Master, but I don't think I could ever consider myself your equal." Nairbix replied as his former teacher walked over to him and rubbed his head.

"Be that as it may, I see that you are. However, before you leave, I have some things that I need to discuss with you, master to master." He said glancing at Mickey who took the hint. Once it was just the two of them, Yen Sid went back to his seat while Nairbix stood before him.

"What is it you want to talk about, Master?" He asked.

"Now that you are a Keyblade Master, Nairbix. There are things that you should know. Since you have completed your training here, you must find another world to settle down and watch over as your territory."

"My territory?"

"Indeed." Yen Sid replied. "Each master has their own world that they watch over. Normally, they choose a world that does not have a ruler or protector. This does not mean that you should only search for worlds such as this, mind you. You may also choose an uninhabited world like this one, or you may simply live the life as a wandering master. The choice is yours."

"Okay, I think I know a nearby world that I could set up in." Nairbix informed after thinking of the worlds he was familiar with. "Is that all?"

"Not quite. Tell me, Nairbix. You are familiar with the positions we wielders of the Keyblade have, correct?" The sorcerer asked.

"Yes, apprentice and master. Why?" He asked.

"Actually, there is a third ranking amongst us. This is only given to those who have unlocked all the secrets of both their own hearts and their Keyblades' as well."

"A third ranking?" Nairbix gasped, "What is it, Master?"

"It is known as, True Master of the Keyblade." Yen Sid answered. "Every master has tried and made progress in achieving this rank and power. But only two have ever done it."

"Two?!" Nairbix exclaimed, "Only two?! Who were they?"

"The first True Master's name has long been lost and forgotten. All we know, is that he was a surviving veteran of the Keyblade War. As for the second, it my own master who surpassed his predecessor. Mind you, they both spent many years of training in order to become True Masters. It isn't a simple task, of course. But I have faith in you, my dear student." Yen Sid said fondly. "What's more, after you have settled in, I want you to contact one month later."

"Okay, but why?"

"…I've grown old, Nairbix. I'm not the Keyblade Master I use to be." He said as he tried to summon his Keyblade, for some reason, it took him several seconds before it appeared. "I'm beginning to lose my ability to summon my Keyblade, my powers are failing me."

"What?" Nairbix asked feeling sorry for his beloved master.

"The reason that I want you to contact me after you've settled, is because I'll be introducing you to the other masters. Should they approve, they may just offer you my seat on the council."

"Me, on the Masters Council?" Nairbix asked.

"Should you and they accept, yes. But we can discuss this another time. Go, celebrate with your loved ones, and take Mickey along with you. I'm sure he's anxious to spend time with you and Jumba." Yen Sid ushered.

"Thank you, Master. But won't you be joining us?" Nairbix asked.

"No, I'm afraid that I won't. I had your Mark of Mastery viewable to the council, so I'll be meeting with them in order to learn of their decision regarding if they would offer you a seat."

"Very well, then. We'll be back later, goodbye, Master."

After Nairbix and Mickey left the tower, they made their way to pick up Jumba from his lab to tell him the good news. Inside the alien's lab, the duo walked in and tried to find their friend.

"Jumba?!" Mickey called.

"Jumba, are you here?" Nairbix called before the sound of footsteps echoed.

"Ah, Nairbix and Mickey!" Jumba exclaimed as he hugged his closest friends. "What be the bringing you to Jumba's lab?" He asked.

"We've got great news, Jumba." Mickey said happily. "Nairbix has just become a Keyblade Master!"

"Really?" He asked only to see the others nod. "Congratulations, Nairbix! When did this happen?"

"About twenty minutes ago, actually." Nairbix admitted with laughter in his voice while scratching the back of his head. "We came to get you and the others before we start celebrating."

"Others?" Jumba asked.

"Natasha, her droid Wall-E, and my mother. We're going to Radiant Garden before we head to my mother's world to tell her the good news." Nairbix replied.

"Oh, well in that case, let's go." Jumba said as Nairbix opened a corridor to Radiant Garden. Once the three friends arrived, Nairbix eagerly made his way to the castle to see the girl of his dreams. After they all climbed up the many steps that led to the giant castle doors, a deep and frightening voice filled the air.

"Who dares to enter the castle of Radiant Garden?" It asked while Nairbix became annoyed.

"Lea, it's me, let us in." He said to Natasha's little brother.

"None may enter unless they speak the royal password!" Lea said using a device to disguise his voice.

"Lea, what're you talking about? You guys don't have a password." Nairbix pointed out.

"Yes we do, I made it up after you went home yesterday." Lea explained as Nairbix smacked his forehead in frustration.

"Then how am I supposed to know what it is?" He asked.

"You…good point." Lea said dropping the fake voice before the door opened. Off to the side, the three friends could see the young prince. Like his sister, he had crimson red hair but only had it done in a spikey fashion. He wore long slacks and a vest over a plain white shirt and raggedy greenish-yellow bandana around his neck. From his size, he appeared to be about seven years old and five years younger than his sister. "How come you're back so soon, Nairbix?" He asked while his sister's friend rubbed his head.

"I've got something to tell your big sister, and I was hoping that she could come with me." Nairbix informed as the little boy led them down the massive hallway that is until he stopped, folded his arms and pouted at Nairbix.

"No!" He stomped showing his attitude. "She just got home, you spent time with her all week." Nairbix found this amusing but knew that unless he didn't chose his next words carefully, Lea was going to throw a little tantrum.

"I know, buddy. But how about this, the next time me and your big sister hang out, you can come and play with us. Sound good?" He asked as he got down to the boy's level.

"…Promise?" He asked still pouting.

"I promise." Nairbix said with his right hand up.

"Pinky swear?" Lea asked as he raised his chubby little finger. Nairbix held back a laugh before linking his own finger and shaking it.

"Pinky swear." He said causing the boy's attitude to take a one-eighty.

"Okay!" He cheered. "Sissy's outside practicing."

"Practicing?" Nairbix asked.

"Yep. Since she came home, she's done nothing but practice her Jedi stuff. Did you know that she can make things move without even touching them?" He asked becoming excited from the memory.

"I did know that, we even met other Jedi who can do that too." Nairbix added while he and his friends tried not to laugh at how innocent the little prince was. He then led them outside to the castle's training area, in the center was Natasha on her knees still wearing her Jedi robes meditating. In her lap, her hands were resting on top of what used to be Qui Gon Jinn's lightsaber. As she sat there, Gatling guns from all sides rose from the ground and aimed at her position. A soft breeze was the only sound that filled the air before the guns fired at the princess/Jedi.

Thankfully, the ammunition was nothing more than rubber balls, however, they would still cause pain if they made impact. Just before any of the multiple balls could make contact, Natasha leapt from the ground and quickly activated her lightsaber. In an instant, she was able to slice every projectile that came her way without even opening her eyes.

After the weapons sank back into the ground, Natasha opened her eyes and saw her brother with Nairbix and his friends. Wall-E then rolled over to her and gave her a fresh towel to wipe away her sweat.

"Thanks, Wall-E." She said sweetly as she walked over to the others. "Hey, fellas. What are you guys doing here?"

"Nairbix said that he has something to tell you, so I brought him to see you." Lea said to his sibling.

"You did?" She asked playfully. "Well, aren't you a little gentleman? Thank you, cutie." Natasha said before smothering him and kissing his cheek much to his dispute before he went back inside. "So, what's up?"

"We have the big news to tell you, Natasha." Jumba said hardly containing his excitement.

"What?" She asked starting to laugh.

"As of today…" Mickey began.

"We do the proudly introducing of…" Jumba carried before they both finished.

"Keyblade Master Nairbix VanSull!"

"Master?" Natasha asked while Nairbix rubbed his head with embarrassment. "Since when did you become a master?"

"Since this morning, actually." He replied before Natasha flung her arms around him laughing happily as Nairbix spun her around. "We were hoping that you could come with us to celebrate, you up for it?"

"Duh!" She exclaimed as they let go, thankfully neither of them noticed the other's flushed face unlike Jumba, Mickey and Wall-E. "Just let me go tell my mom and uncle and then we can go."

"Thanks, Natasha, I'm glad you want to come." Nairbix said with a genuine smile. From the doorframe, Natasha returned the smile before replying.

"What kind of best friend would I be if I didn't?" She asked as she left.

"She's really something, huh, guys?" Nairbix asked only to find his two friends glaring at him with their arms folded. "What?" He asked as his brows furrowed. Still no response. "What?" He asked again with a little more demand.

"Oh, are you speaking to us?" Jumba asked with sarcasm. "We're just curious who you are doing the addressing to."

"What?" Nairbix asked growing confused and annoyed.

"We just thought that we were your best friends, guess not." Mickey huffed.

"…Are you two serious? You're acting like this because of what Natasha said?!"

"Well, are you?" Mickey asked.

"Am I what?"

"Do you consider Natasha your best friend?" Jumba asked while Nairbix smacked his head.

"Guys-yes, I do, okay?! I consider her my best friend. It's different with me and her." He said as he face flushed again. "And yeah, I don't consider you guys my best friends." Nairbix said shocking the two. "I consider you guys my brothers." He said earnestly.

"You do?" They both asked feeling touched.

"Well, yeah-look. It's a bit different with me and Natasha."

"Different how?" Mickey asked while Jumba caught on.

"Oh!" He carried teasingly. "It would seem that our master of the Keyblade has become twitterpated for the Jedi Princess of Heart."

"What-twitterpated?" Nairbix asked.

"Indeed." The evil genius prodigy nodded. "Nearly everybody gets twitterpated. For example: you're walking along, minding your own business. You're looking neither to the left, nor to the right, when all of a sudden, you run smack into a pretty face. Woo-woo!" He exclaimed, "You begin to get weak in the knees. Your head's in a whirl. And then you feel light as a feather; and before you know it, you're walking on air. And then you know what? You're knocked for a loop, and you completely lose your head!"

"That's ridiculous, Jumba!" Nairbix waved off. "And since when are you a love expert?! Do I have feelings for Natasha? Yes. I won't deny that." He admitted, "But I honestly doubt that I'm "twitterpated" of all things!"

In a split second after he said this, Natasha walked back out and informed them that she could go. As this happened, Nairbix gazed at her and became weak in the knees, light as a feather and walking on air. "Oh, dear Emperor, I'm twitterpated!" He screamed in his head.

"Nairbix!" Natasha shouted bringing him out of his daze. "I asked you if you're ready."

"Yeah, uh, sure, let's go." He said sheepishly as he opened a corridor.

It had been several years since Nairbix had last been to The Moors. Ever since his mother became dark and declared herself queen of The Moors, the land had gained a darker beauty. Since time was different for all worlds and that Nairbix had only seen his mother and Diaval at the tower, there was no telling how long it had been since the two of them had cursed the infant princess.

As the three brothers, princess and droid made their way to the center lake of The Moors, they saw the fallen wingless fairy sit on her branch made throne glaring at the hateful images in her mind. In his original crow form, Diaval alerted his mistress of her son and his friends' arrival with a squawk. She raised her head and instantly changed her expression to one filled with motherly love.

"Darling." She said lovingly as she rose to embrace her child. "What are you doing here?"

"I have good news, Mother. Master Yen Sid promoted me to Keyblade Master this morning!" Nairbix cheered.

"He did? I'm so proud of you, Darling!" Maleficent replied as she attempted to embarrass her son by kissing his cheek in front of his friends. The day in The Moors was happily spent, Nairbix had shown his friends all of the places that he used to play at during his time in the world before he left. So many of the creatures that he befriended happily welcomed him back while he spent the whole day with his mother, crush and two new brothers. After night had fallen, Nairbix once again parted ways with Maleficent and returned his companions to their homes. Still feeling awake and adventurous, Nairbix began to search for a world that he could claim as his territory.

As he was traveling between worlds, Nairbix noticed one that he had come across before but never examined. In a flash of darkness he found himself in the middle of a quiet little town colored orange from the setting sun. All around him were tall buildings and paved road, even a trolley car passed by him as he gazed at the town.

"Hey!" Someone's voice called out. From behind him, Nairbix saw blonde young man waving at him from a large stand in the center of the area he was in.

"Me?" Nairbix asked while pointing.

"Yeah, you. You new around here?" The man asked as Nairbix walked over to him.

"Not really. Just browsing around to see if I'd like to live here, though. I'm Nairbix, Nairbix VanSull." He greeted.

"Call me, Jake. So, Nairbix, what's a kid like you going around looking for a place of his own for?"

"Oh, I just finished learning all I could from someone, and now that I'm finished, I'll need a place of my own. Know of any place available?"

"Sorry, little man. I'm just a stand owner, so I wouldn't know. But if you could find the mayor, she could probably help you out." Jake offered.

"Okay, thanks. Where can find I her?"

"Well, she usually spends her time playing with her son on Sunset Hill in the upper level of the town when she's off duty. I'm sure that if you give her all the details, she could probably hook you up with something."

"Sounds good to me. Thanks, Jake." Nairbix said as they shook hands.

"Any time, pal." He said as the little master went on his way. After boarding a train to take himself uptown, Nairbix reached the cozy neighborhood. As he got off the train, Nairbix was met with the sight of a little boy bawling his little eyes out. Wearing a striped white shirt under a pair of little overalls, the little brunette had his fist in his face to rub away his tears.

"Hey, little fella." Nairbix said gently. "What's the matter, huh?"

Through his crocodile tears, the boy raised his head and spoke to the visiting master. "I ca-can't find my-my mommy!" He wailed, Nairbix immediately comforted the boy as his sobs caused him to hiccup.

"Oh, it's okay. Everything's gonna be alright, what's your name, kiddo?" Nairbix asked.

"Ti-Timmy." The boy sniffled.

"That's a nice name." Nairbix smiled. "My name is Nairbix. So tell me, Timmy, where did you last see your mommy?"

"I don't know." The child mumbled.

"Well, what does she look like?"

"She's a lady." Timmy replied making Nairbix sweatdrop.

"Well, that certainly narrows things down." He thought bluntly. "Okay then, what were you and your mommy doing before you got lost?"

"We were playing up on the hill, but then I lost my ball and went after it. Then some big kids kicked it away and when I came back, Mommy was gone." Timmy said on the verge of tears again. With quick thinking, Nairbix decided to put his training from Halloweentown to good use. He reached into Timmy's ear and magically pulled put a big red lollipop. At the sight of the treat, Timmy's face lit up before he happily took it. Nairbix then ruffled the lad's hair and hoisted him up on his shoulders.

"Now then, let's go find your mommy." Seeing how Nairbix had no idea who the boy's mother looked like, and that he had never really been to this world before; he had no idea who he was looking for or where he was going. And the little one on his shoulders wasn't much help either.

But thanks to this little excursion, Nairbix was able to get a great view of the peaceful town. If he was able to, he just might consider settling here. However, despite the smaller size of the area they were in, it was proving difficult to locate the missing mother.

After what seemed to be an hour of searching, both Nairbix and Timmy stumbled upon a well-dressed, frantic young woman. As she was swerving her head left and right, she stopped dead once she spotted the boy perched on Nairbix.

"Timmy!" She cried as she ran over. Without giving any warning, Timmy pushed Nairbix's head down and jumped off of his head before toddling over to the woman.

"Momma!" He shouted back. In a somewhat corny way, the two ran into each other's embrace while Nairbix sweatdropped at the scene.

"Ahem." Nairbix grunted earning the mother's attention. "Sorry to interrupt, but could you be so kind to help me with something, Ma'am?"

"Oh, of course. Anything after you took care of my little boy. What do you need, sir?" She asked now standing with Timmy in her arms.

"I'm considering moving here, but there are some things that I need to discuss with the mayor of this town. If you could help me locate her I would greatly appreciate it." He replied. Hearing this, the woman gave a soft chuckle.

"Well, look no further. I actually happen to be the mayor." She replied.

"Of course you are." Nairbix smirked dryly.

"Sasha Martyr, mayor of this fine little town, at your service. How can I help you?" She asked.

"Well for starters, have you ever heard of a Keyblade before, Madam Mayor?" Nairbix asked as they began to walk back to the train.

"I have actually. Before I settled here, I was actually a wandering adventurer so I came across a wielder or two from time to time. I take it, you're a wielder of the Keyblade as well?" Sasha asked.

"A master as of this morning, actually. I was hoping to see if it would be possible to stay here and call this place my territory; if you would allow it, of course." Nairbix informed.

"Certainly." Sasha replied warmly. "It's the least I can do for you for your service and for looking after Timmy." As they continued discussing the matter, they boarded the train that would take them back to the station in town.

"Thank you, I really appreciate this. Anyway, I was wondering, does the town have any large homes or wide open areas that I can use?"

"…Well, there is the old clearing in the woods past the massive wall on the west side. There isn't anything there, but I could have some people construct a new home for you, if you'd like." Sasha offered.

"Is it a large clearing?" Nairbix asked as they got off the train and left the station.

"I'd say so. It's not that far from here, I could show you if you'd like."

"Why not? I may be able to tell what would best suit my needs after seeing the place. Lead the way, Madam Mayor." He teased. They soon made their way to a large cracked hole at the bottom of the great stone wall and walked to the outskirts. After passing through a small maze of trees, Sasha led Nairbix to the large clearing that she had spoken of.

"Is it to your liking?" She asked.

"It's perfect. The size is more than what I would need." Nairbix replied. "How long do you think it would take to build something here?"

"That depends on what you want built. What would you like anyway?" She asked. Nairbix thought for a moment before he answered. He thought of any possibility that came to his mind, having guest, students or even a family staying with him would require a large home.

"What about a mansion? How long do you think that would take to build?" He asked.

"Around a month or so. But like I said before, it all depends on how you want it built. Unless you could care less about how the mansion would look, I'd need to give the contractors a set of blue prints." The mayor informed. By using his magic, Nairbix made a set of blue prints riddled with the designs that he wanted. Sasha briefly looked over them for a moment before speaking to the Keyblade master.

"Impressive. But it seems a bit complex. I don't know if our guys can handle something like this." She admitted.

"No need to worry." Nairbix waved off. "Construction magic happens to be one of my many specialties." After reciting one of the spells that he learned curtesy of Aggie, Nairbix created the mansion that he pictured in his mind right before them. "What do you think?" He asked the awestruck mayor who nearly dropped her sleeping son.

"…Wow." Was all she said.

"Yeah, not too bad for a rush job, if I do say so myself." Nairbix joked.

Once she collected her thoughts, Sasha looked back at Nairbix before she spoke to him again. "Well, if everything is okay with you, I think I'll be heading home, Nairbix. Have a nice day."

"And you as well, Sasha." Nairbix said in return as the mayor walked away with her boy.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" She softly exclaimed as not to wake Timmy. "Welcome to Twilight Town, Master VanSull."

 **I only have one thing to say, yes, Nairbix lived in the old abandoned mansion in Twilight Town and that's where he raises his children until Ansem comes.**


	11. The Master's Council

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or anything Disney, the only things I do own are the original characters and the original world that I came up with in this chapter, you'll know who's mine who is not. Enjoy!**

It had been one month since Nairbix made his new home in his new territory. The time he had spent in Twilight Town was quiet, peaceful and relaxing, but that was about to change. The following morning, he contacted Yen Sid and informed him where he was and anxiously awaited for him to take him to meet the other masters.

It would also be his first time meeting the other masters as well as the council, so naturally, he was filled with excitement. From the window of his own study, Nairbix saw his former teacher walk to his front door. He then got up from his seat and quickly made his way to the main room as his master walked inside.

"Hello, Nairbix." He said happily.

"Hello and welcome, Master. Welcome to VanSull Manor." Nairbix said with a teasing bow from upstairs earning laughter from the old wizard.

"I must say, I'm impressed with your new home, Nairbix. I'd ask how long it took to build, but I'm beginning to sense that you used your magic to build it." Yen Sid said.

"That obvious, huh?" Nairbix asked still smiling.

"No one could ever build anything correctly with your sense of taste and style, my old apprentice." Yen Sid remarked.

"I resent that." He retorted dryly before they both laughed.

"In any case, it's time for us to go. I can only imagine that you're excited about this, am I right?" Yen Sid asked.

"Very much, Master." Nairbix replied as Yen Sid opened a corridor of light for the two of them. After they walked through and the light cleared, Nairbix was gaping at the sight before him in awe. It was a massive floating castle constructed out of magical white gold surrounded by beautiful fountains.

Yen Sid noticed his former pupil's reaction to the sight and chuckled as he began to walk up the paved white path that led to the castle. "There will be time for looking later, Nairbix." He called to the motionless master. "The council and masters are waiting for you."

"Sorry." He said bashfully before catching up. Once they were inside, Nairbix saw the many levels of the castle and how they were filled with so many masters just like him. If anything, he thought it greatly resembled the Jedi temple back on Coruscant. As they continued walking, many of the masters were glancing at the duo and whispered about them.

While they were walking, two older gentlemen confronted them with welcoming grins. One was a dark skinned man with a silver beard and golden eyes dressed in a long open black trench coat and white gloves behind his back. The other, wore a long white master's coat with red outlining over a suit of Keyblade armor while his wild black hair was tied up in a ponytail.

"Greetings, Master Yen Sid." The black haired master said.

"Hello, Eraqus." He said to the one who had greeted him. "Xehanort." He said to the other who nodded his head. "And how are you two doing on this fine day?"

"Well, Master. We are doing quite well." Xehanort replied in the gruffest voice Nairbix had ever heard. "Pardon me, but is this your apprentice?" He asked as Yen Sid ruffled Nairbix's hair.

"Former apprentice. Now, he holds the same rank as we do."

"Keyblade Master Nairbix VanSull, living manifestation and embodiment of Narnia's firstborn darkness, at your service." Nairbix greeted.

"Ah, yes. We viewed your Mark of Mastery last month." Eraqus remembered. "You certainly displayed an impressive ordeal of strength for someone your age. How long did you study under Master Yen Sid again?"

"Four years." Nairbix replied.

"Come now, Eraqus." Xehanort interrupted. "Stop interrogating the boy. The council will decide his position, not you and your paranoia." But Eraqus said nothing before walking away to the council room. "When will he learn?" Xehanort asked himself as he shook his head. "It was nice meeting you, Nairbix. I hope things will be in your favor today."

"Master?" Nairbix asked as Xehanort left. "What did he mean by Eraqus's paranoia?"

"Sigh, unfortunately, my pupil. Eraqus is someone who leans too far into the light and sees darkness as evil. I don't doubt that he will be against you joining the council or even having the rank of master considering the nature of your heart and how you came to be." Yen Sid replied.

"Do any of the other masters think like that?" Nairbix asked.

"For those on the council, thankfully not. But I can't guarantee the same can be said for others, however, that ties to more of their own unfortunate experiences with darkness. Still, I can say that they would not treat you any differently besides Eraqus that is."

"Did he have a bad encounter with some sort of darkness?" Nairbix asked while they were walking.

"No." Yen Sid said bluntly with a hint of anger. "And that is what baffles me and so many others. From how you described them, he has a similar narrow minded attitude to the Jedi you met."

"Yay." Nairbix dryly said with sarcasm.

"Master, Yen Sid!" A deep and gruff voice shouted from above, they turned their heads to the level above them and tall saw young man with short dirty blonde hair grinning happily at the sight of the old wizard. But one part of his appearance greatly struck Nairbix. He was beyond muscular! Even though he was wearing regal robes and a long-sleeved golden master coat, anyone could clearly see that he was chiseled and ripped! He then jumped from the rail and eagerly rushed over to them clearly ecstatic to see the famous master.

"Oh, it's so good to see you again, Master." The man said before he noticed Nairbix. "And you must be Nairbix VanSull." He said shaking Nairbix's hand roughly but with kindness. "I saw your Mark of Mastery, truly, you are a mighty warrior; it's an honor to finally meet you."

"Thank you, um…?"

"Oh, where is my head?!" He asked as he smacked his head while laughing. "I am Keyblade Master Edgar Goldmin. I also happen to be a member on the Council of Masters as well. I look forward to having you with us, my friend. I had better move along, the meeting for you will soon take place. Goodbye, Master Nairbix, Master Yen Sid." And with that, the happy go lucky man left.

"Um, Master, who was that?" Nairbix asked.

"That was Edgar Goldmin, he is without a doubt the most humble and caring master to have ever been on the council. In case you hadn't noticed, he has a bright and beaming outlook on life." Yen Sid through his chuckles.

"And a firm grip." Nairbix added as he clenched his hand.

"You're likely to discover that all of the masters here have their own unique personalities and outlooks, Nairbix. But despite their differences, they all see our kind as their family and would give their lives if it meant protecting not only them, but any world in need."

"As anyone should." Nairbix agreed. He then noticed a master from a quick glance reading a book. He seemed to be about eighteen years old, he had pitch black hair on the top of his head and white on his sides clearly showing his dark blue eyes. He wore a dark skin tight blue shirt underneath a black short-sleeved coat with white wisps dancing at the end.

"Who is that person, Master?" He asked pointing at the young man.

"Oh, that would be Master Delton Voss. He's been on the council for about a year now. He normally keeps to himself save for certain members on the council." Yen Sid replied.

"Really?" Nairbix asked.

"Indeed. Now, Nairbix." Yen Sid began, "When the meeting begins, you may speak when you are addressed or if you must defend yourself, not for any other reason, understood?"

"Yes, Master." He replied before they entered. The room was wide and round and each of the many masters sat on the elevated seats as they looked down at Nairbix while Yen Sid flashed up to his seat.

"The Council of Keyblade Masters' official meeting regarding newly instated Keyblade Master Nairbix VanSull has now come to order." A giraffe-like master announced. Then, at the head of the council, a tall and muscular tanned man with wild and long silver hair wearing a blood orange colored master's coat made his announcement.

"As Grandmaster of this council, I, Sigurd Vince, welcome you, Master Nairbix VanSull to our castle." Sigurd said.

"And I greatly appreciate it, Grandmaster." Nairbix replied with a bow.

"Master Nairbix, you have been called here to witness firsthand the council's decision regarding whether or not you shall take your former master's place on this council."

"Pardon me, Grandmaster." Goldmin addressed. "But why is it that Master Yen Sid is offering his seat in the first place?"

"Allow me to answer that, Master Goldmin." Yen Sid announced. "To those of you who do not know, I have discovered that I am losing my ability to summon my Keyblade." After he said this, an uproar came up and filled the room with chatter but it was quickly ended once he raised his hand. "Thank you. As I said, I am losing the ability to summon my Keyblade. Because of this, I do not see any reason for me to be on a council of those who can. And, since one of my two disciples has become a master and a powerful one at that, I think that he should take my place."

"Surely there must be some way for you to retain your powers, Master." Eraqus offered.

"No, Eraqus, there isn't. Besides, I have served as a wielder of the Keyblade for many years. I will simply consider this my retirement, and continue to use the magic that I have left to watch over the worlds and provide help to those who need it." Yen Sid replied.

"Now those, are some inspiring words, Master." Said a giant master from the other side of the room.

"We have all witnessed what Master Nairbix can do, even if it was a sliver of his strength. I personally agree with what Master Yen Sid has said and agree that we should offer him a place on this council." Xehanort provided.

"All those in favor of carrying Yen Sid's proposal?" Sigurd asked as he and nearly the master raised their hands. "Opposed?" Only one hand rose, and surprise surprise, it belonged to Eraqus. "Would you care to inform the council why you are opposed to this, Eraqus?"

"I would. I am against this considering that Nairbix VanSull not only has a heart of pure darkness but that he is also the living manifestation and embodiment of an entire world's darkness." He said as the other master began to shout at him.

"You would deny him this because of your paranoia with darkness?!" The standing giraffe master bellowed.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, Master Calo, I am against him joining because of his darkness." Eraqus retorted.

"In case you haven't been paying attention to his actions over his years of training, and what Master Yen Sid has told us, Eraqus. Master Nairbix is not like the evil you automatically confuse darkness with." Master Delton reminded dryly.

"Enough!" Sigurd shouted. "Clearly, Eraqus is against you joining us, Nairbix. Do you have anything that you would like to say to him?" He asked.

"Yes, I do." Nairbix replied with his voice slightly trembling with anger before he looked to the older master. "I don't care if you have some sort of hatred towards darkness, and I could care less about your feelings towards me. But as a master, you shouldn't judge someone based on the nature of their heart before you even know them."

"Well said, Nairbix!" Goldmin cheered.

"I agree with what you have said, Nairbix." Sigurd added, "However, we can only approve something if all members come to an agreement."

"There is another option, Grandmaster." Delton reminded. "In cases similar to this, the council can allow a duel to decide the outcome." With that being said, the entire council murmured in agreement.

"All those save for Master Eraqus in favor?" Sigurd asked as everyone raised their hands. "It's settled then. Masters Nairbix and Eraqus shall have a duel, if Nairbix wins, he shall have earned his place amongst this council. Should Eraqus win, he shall decide Nairbix's fate. Are these terms agreeable?"

"Yes." They both said glaring at one another. Eraqus then jumped down to face Nairbix as the room shifted to a battle arena.

"Excellent. This battle shall be until either someone yields or is rendered unconscious, and any technique is allowed." Sigurd declared as Nairbix and Eraqus summoned their Keyblades. Silence filled the air as the tension grew thicker. "Begin."

The two quickly rushed at each other and slammed their weapons against each other. They then shrugged themselves off and continued to slash at each other. Eraqus then jumped back and readied his next attack. He slowly waved his Keyblade to his side and lunged at Nairbix with unbelievable speed as he slashed his torso.

But as soon as the attack made contact, Nairbix created a large barrier sphere causing Eraqus's attack to bounce back just before he caused it to burst. The blast did do minor damage to the older master and allowed Nairbix to take the opening and slash his opponent. It did cause Eraqus to skid back several feet, but he was still standing.

He then charged once again at Nairbix and slammed his Keyblade down on his. Even though Nairbix wasn't even close to faltering, he still needed to shrug off the older master. So, in a rush of adrenaline, Nairbix managed to get Eraqus off of him before he readied his next punch. But something strange happened as Nairbix's punch made contact, an invisible sonic force blasted from his fist and into Eraqus's torso causing him to be sent flying into the wall unconscious.

Everyone in the room was silent after they all witnessed the unbelievable attack, not that they had never seen it before, no, they all knew too well what it was and what it meant for the new master.

"It would seem that Master Eraqus has been rendered unconscious." Sigurd said breaking the silence while Nairbix stared at his hand. "Thus, Nairbix VanSull the living manifestation and embodiment of Narnia's firstborn darkness and Keyblade Master is now an honorary member of the Council of Keyblade Masters."

For a moment, no one had gotten over their shock until Yen Sid rose from his seat and began to applaud his former student. Soon, everyone joined in and congratulated Nairbix's victory. Then, the wall to the seats of the masters opened made a set of stairs that led to a smiling Yen Sid and his seat. As Nairbix walked towards his master, the others patted his back and expressed their congrats to him. Once he reached Yen Sid, the old sorcerer bowed and stood aside to show his seat, but before Nairbix sat down, he threw his arms around his master and hugged him before Yen Sid did the same.

As Nairbix took his seat, Yen Sid flashed down to the center of the floor and looked at all of those who he found some way to teach.

"And so, my friends. This marks the end of my days as a master and wielder of the Keyblade." He announced, hearing this, many of the masters began to tear up at the sight of the beloved master leaving them. "I have witnessed so many wonderful things because of the mighty weapon and tool that I once wielded. I was blessed to meet and make so many friends and help guide so many of you to where you are now. I can honestly say that I have no regrets. I leave my seat and the worlds in capable hands. I bid you all a very fond farewell." He said wistfully. While he was exiting the room, he began to whistle through his teeth a song very old and dear to all those who wield the Keyblade.

"With the end of one tale, a new one begins." Sigurd said with a sad smile as a single tear rolled down his face. "Welcome to the council, Master Nairbix." He said.

After the council had dismissed, Nairbix walked out of the room with thoughts racing through his head. That is until Goldmin tackled him with a bone crushing and tearful hug.

"Oh, Nairbix!" He wailed. "Truly you touched all of our hearts today with the sad parting between you and your master! You, my friend are so inspiring!"

"Goldmin, let the poor guy go. I don't think he'd appreciate it if you killed him." A brown haired woman said walking over to them. She had he hair in a ponytail draped over her right shoulder and wore armor similar to Eraqus's underneath a long-sleeved purple coat that was just a bit darker than her own purple eyes.

"Oh, so sorry, my friend." Goldmin sheepishly said rubbing the back of his head.

"You'll have to excuse Goldmin, he's a bit emotional to, well, everything." The woman said as she outstretched her hand. "Trisha Klein. I'm on the council too. Congratulations on joining us, Nairbix." She said as they shook hands.

"Thanks. Um, if you guys don't mind, I have a question." Nairbix said nervously.

"Not at all, fire away." Trisha urged.

"…During my fight with Eraqus, I used some strange technique that I'd never seen or used before. Do either of you have any idea what it was?" He asked, hearing this, the two chuckled at their fellow master and council member.

"Indeed we do, Nairbix." Goldmin replied before Trisha continued the answer.

"That technique you used is known as the Flux Wave technique. It is typically the first technique that masters unlock as their abilities as True Masters. It's strange, though. Normally, it takes some time before any of the powers to show up. Certainly more than a single month after achieving the rank master, that is." Trisha said.

"It's honestly not that surprising considering how young of a master he is anyway, Trisha." Delton said walking over to them. As he walked over to Trisha, he placed a quick kiss on her cheek causing her to blush and Nairbix to look at them in surprise. "Nice work today by the way, VanSull." He said looking blankly at Nairbix.

"Thanks, so, um…what exactly do we do now that the meeting's over now?" He asked.

"…We go home." Delton said like it was a dumb question.

"Oh, right." Nairbix replied bashfully as the apparent couple walked away.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Nairbix. Farewell." Goldmin waved before disappearing in a bright flash of golden light. Having no other reason to stay, Nairbix transported himself back to the mansion.

As he sat in his study, Nairbix pondered about the rank of True Master and how he may achieve it. "Trisha mentioned unlocking the abilities." He thought out loud, "Maybe, the power is somewhere dormant inside Heartbreaker." With the thought in mind, he summoned his Keyblade and began to concentrate all of his magic as he closed his eyes and entered his Station of Awakening.

Once he reached its surface, Nairbix noticed that the once empty places were filled with Natasha, Jumba and Mickey's faces. "So, you've learned the secret." A woman said from behind Nairbix.

She wore a sleeve-less, frilly ball gown as red as red wine and two black sashes crisscrossing over both her eyes over her pale face. "How long has it been since you were last here?" She asked with a smooth and silky voice. "Was it only when we met? Or have I simply forgotten times past then?"

Nairbix chuckled at the woman with a somewhat sad smile. "No, it was that one time. But we've seen each other every day since then, my dear Heartbreaker." He said to the spirit of his Keyblade.

"Not like this." She reminded, "Only as a weapon and a tool."

"I have never seen you as that. I may have addressed your kind as that, but I've always seen you as my partner. I love you. Not like a lover, but not as less as a friend."

"As do I. But it's been so long since I felt you this close to me." Heartbreaker said in a depressed tone.

"I know. You know why I'm here, Heartbreaker. Something in my gut tells me that I'll need power to help people in the future."

"I agree. I have the same feeling, as well. Though, there's no telling what threat will come that we will need the powers of a True Master. But, I cannot simply supply you with all the secrets, Nairbix."

"I know. I don't expect you too. You're too stubborn to do so." He teased earning a genuine smile from the Keyblade spirit. "I don't care how long it takes. I'll become a True Master and protect my friends and the worlds." Nairbix declared summoning his Keyblade.

"And I will gladly fight alongside you." Heartbreaker replied summoning herself matching Nairbix's stance just before they clashed. So began the training of Nairbix VanSull to become a True Keyblade Master.


	12. The True Master's Rise

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or anything Disney. But with this chapter, I will own a lot more things than I usually do and you'll know why as you read. And yes, I realize that I somewhat rushed into making Nairbix a True Master, but quite frankly, I suck at writing fight scenes and training. Hey, we all have our weaknesses. There will be more at the end of the chapter, hope you like it!**

From the last time Nairbix was in the Station of Awakening, he had come to realize that time moved very differently from the outside. There was no telling how long he had spent in the station training with Heartbreaker. Considering how sacred this training was, words could not describe how severe and excruciating it was. In the center of the glass surface that was Nairbix's heart, he stood confidently smirking at Heartbreaker who was doing the same, each with their weapon ready.

Without exchanging any words, the two partners rushed at each other and began to clash. Their movements were like the two were dancing and the smiles on their faces made that even more convincing. Sparks flew as the identical blades clashed and their wielders jumped about to strike at the other's openings.

As he gained a few feet in distance, Nairbix stuck out his free hand and shouted, "Chains!" causing multiple links of iron chains with spikes on each side to shoot towards Heartbreaker. In a split second before they struck her, she vanished in wisp of darkness and came up right behind him in an attempt to slash him. But, he was able to block her from behind without even looking at her and shove her off his back.

"Flux Wave." Nairbix said under his breath as a sonic force sent Heartbreaker flying. Mimicking his partner's previous move, Nairbix disappeared in a wisp of darkness and got behind Heartbreaker before he sent her to the glass panel. "Looks like I win again." He said floating down with a smirk.

"Whatever." Heartbreaker sneered as he helped her up. "It would also seem that you've completed your training."

"Only one way to find out." He replied still grinning.

"So you still plan on doing it, then?" Heartbreaker asked fixing her dress.

"Indeed. It'll prove to the council and everyone that there is now a third True Keyblade Master. Besides, the universe just might need what I have in store." Nairbix said mysteriously.

"We'll need the best of luck do pull it off, won't we?" Heartbreaker asked.

"Have faith. It's us, remember?" He asked before he left The Station of Awakening. As he opened his eyes, Nairbix saw his study exactly as he left it and began to get out of his seat only to fall to the ground. "Great. My legs are asleep." He huffed as the sound of someone running was heard.

"Nairbix?" Mickey asked as he entered the room.

"Mickey? What are you doing here?" Nairbix asked as he picked himself up. "Did you get shorter?" He asked before Mickey tackled him to the ground with a hug.

"Jumba, Master get in here!" He shouted happily.

"Jumba? Master?" Nairbix asked as the others barged in.

"Brother!" Jumba shouted joining in on the hug. Jumba had seemed to have gotten bigger and let his hair grow out to where it reached the center of his back while the black streak in Yen Sid's beard was gone.

"Um, what are all of you doing here? And why do all of you look different?" Nairbix asked.

"We've had to keep an eye on you this whole time, Nairbix." Yen Sid replied.

"This whole time?" Nairbix repeated.

"Nairbix, you mean you don't know?" Mickey asked after he and Jumba got off their brother through bonds.

"Know what?"

"You've been meditating for two years, my old student." Yen Sid replied.

"…What?!" He shouted after a few moments of silence. "Are you serious?! I've been like that for two years?!"

"Yeah. You didn't notice?" Mickey asked.

"No, the concept of time doesn't affect The Station of Awakening! By the lion's mane, I look like I'm thirteen!" Nairbix exclaimed looking in a nearby mirror.

"We informed the council and the others about your previous state when we found you, so everyone besides your mother knows." Yen Sid replied.

"Oh, good. She would have killed me if she knew that…wait." He said becoming pale. "Did you tell Natasha?" He asked fearfully.

"She was with us when we found you, actually." Jumba informed.

"I'm gonna die!" Nairbix screamed in his head knowing what the redheaded princess would do to him when she saw him.

"What were you doing anyway, Nairbix?" Mickey asked.

"I was becoming a True Keyblade Master. And thanks to these past two years, I have become one." He said proudly.

"You have?!" Yen Sid and Mickey asked in shock. "Let me look." Yen Sid said before he began to stare into Nairbix's eyes for several moments. "…By George, he has done it." He whispered.

"Way to go, Nairbix!" His brothers cheered while his master was still in shock.

"Unbelievable! He was able to become a True Master in two years through meditation alone!" Yen Sid exclaimed in his mind. "Even with that, the power radiating off of him now is practically twenty percent of what my own master used and it took him forty years to become a True Master!"

"Master?" Nairbix asked snapping the old man out of his daze.

"Hmm, yes, what is it?"

"I said, we're going to Radiant Garden to go see Natasha."

"Oh, very well. I'll let you face your punishment, then." Yen Sid teased.

"That's not funny, Master." Nairbix said dryly, "You have no idea what she's like when she gets angry." He said before they left via corridor. After the darkness cleared, the three brothers found themselves in Natasha's rose garden as an old tune filled the air.

"Put on your Sunday clothes there's lots of world out there! Get out the brilliantine and dime cigars!" The song carried letting Nairbix know that it was Wall-E's recording function. Sure enough, the little droid came around the corner humming the song he was playing as he watered the tall rose bushes. He then noticed the trio and waved his little claw before calling for Natasha with his metallic voice.

"Asha!" He called causing Nairbix to become even paler than he normally was. Around the corner, Natasha, now thirteen and more filled out much to Nairbix's secret liking came and stared at her old friend with a shocked face.

"Nairbix?" She asked.

"Hey." He said nervously thinking this was where she would send him into a world of hurt. But instead of running over to him to punch him, she ran over to him and hugged him with tears of joy breaming in her ocean blue eyes.

"You're awake." She said happily pulling him into another hug before clocking him in the face nearly breaking his nose. "That was for making me worry!" She said firmly.

"Ah, okay, I had that coming." Nairbix said clutching his nose. "Sorry, I didn't know it had been two years. If I did, then I would have taken breaks with my training and let you guys know I was alright." He said sincerely.

"Training, what training?" Natasha asked.

"Do you remember when we were all in The Moors and I told you about the third ranking that Yen Sid told me about?"

"You didn't." Natasha said playfully knowing that he in fact did. He nodded and she once again flung her arms around the new True Master while he spun her around happily.

"You are looking at the third True Master of the Keyblade right now. Bask in my glory." He teased.

"Does the council know yet?"

"Nope. I knew that you were worried, so I stopped by here first." Nairbix replied as he twirled his friend around as though they were dancing.

"My, how thoughtful." The Jedi princess teased.

"Naturally. Would Her Majesty care to join us in seeing the Keyblade Masters Council?" Nairbix asked while they continued to dance.

"Would I be able to witness the newfound powers of the True Keyblade Master?" Natasha asked as Nairbix dipped her.

"If you come with us," He said looking straight in the eyes and became mesmerized by her beauty, "Then you will see something that will leave everyone breathless and speechless."

"What will that be?" Natasha said rising from the dip.

"You'll just have to wait and see." Nairbix replied smiling wholeheartedly still staring into her eyes.

"Ahem!" Jumba cleared his throat, "Shall we be going now?" He asked breaking up the two.

"Uh, right." Nairbix bashfully said blushing as he made a corridor. As they all walked through and the darkness cleared, they all saw the members of the council sitting in their seats staring down at Nairbix as Sigurd spoke.

"Hail, Nairbix VanSull, third True Keyblade Master!" He shouted as all of the masters including the reluctant Eraqus bowed to him. "Once again, you have proved yourself to be quite the remarkable wielder of the Keyblade.

"Cheers, Nairbix!" Goldmin shouted, over the two years, he had grown out his hair to where it reached his shoulders and somehow grew not just one, but two mustaches!

"Truly, I am at a loss for words over your accomplishment, Nairbix." Sigurd continued sporting a proud smile.

"If it would please the council, I actually have planned a demonstration of my powers." Nairbix said as the members looked at one another nodding in agreement and excitement.

"Speaking for all of us, yes please." Sigurd said through his enthusiastic chuckles. With a flick of his hand, Nairbix created a large blue glowing sphere that showed an open space in space.

"Consider this a gift and a means to witness what I have in store." Nairbix said to them all. He then began to concentrate all of the darkness in his heart and all that was around him. As the darkness began to cover him like a cloak, Nairbix began to transform!

His teeth and nails grew even sharper as two curved golden horns sprouted from the sides of his head and two dragon-like wings shot out of his shoulder blades and draped themselves over his shoulders reaching past his arms like a cape.

"Did you know he could do that?" Jumba asked Natasha or Mickey.

"I had no idea." They both whispered not taking their eyes off of their brother/friend.

"Pardon me, Nairbix." Delton said, "But is there a reason that you have taken this form?"

"Yes." Nairbix said in a more gruff demonic voice laced with his own. "This form is the marker for me being at only fifty-percent of my power. With my Keyblade summoned, I reach seventy-five-percent. That will be the necessary percentage for what I am about to do." He explained.

"And what exactly will you be doing, Nairbix?" Xehanort asked.

"I will be creating an entirely new world." Nairbix said before vanishing in a wisp of darkness and coming into view on the massive looking glass.

He then summoned his Keyblade and began to cover it in darkness as he chanted in ancient magic. The tip of his Keyblade began to glow as the darkness grew, the power he was emitting could be sensed from all over the entire universe.

Yen Sid could sense the magic from his tower, Merlin could sense it from his home in Radiant Garden, Maleficent and the three fairies could sense it from The Moors, Aslan and Jadis could sense it from Narnia and even Yoda could sense it from Coruscant.

The whole area began to wax and weave as Nairbix continued to use his magic to create the new world. The stars blared and dimed as the void swirled growing and shrinking in size while all who could see and sense this became awestruck.

The darkness and space were now focused into a swirling sphere of many colors as the final touches were coming into place. The sphere then compressed itself as though it were imploding just before exploding releasing the new world like a chick hatching from an egg!

Nairbix was now in the world he had just created and gazed at it the same way he gazed at the lands of Narnia. He was at the coast of the black sandy beaches that shined like the night sky before the sapphire blue sea before him and had a smile on his face so wide and filled with joy it began to hurt his face.

As he ran up the glistening dunes, he saw the open plains of soil similar to the sand beneath the countless blades of white grass. Trees began to sprout from the ground with black trunks and branches with leaves and needles as silver as his master's beard and the residents began to rise from the tall grass as though they had just woken from a nap.

So many creatures of different shapes, sizes and colors came towards Nairbix as he used the magic radiating off of him to give them the same level of knowledge that Aslan had given to him so as not to worry about their naivety causing any problems. While each of them were different and unique in their own ways, they all looked as though they were creatures that belonged in the darkness.

In the distance, a colossal black citadel arose from the ground. It was frightening but it had a welcoming and warm feeling that could be found in the humblest homes. Its windows were a pale emerald green stained glass that shined in the pale moonlight up above in the starry sky.

Nairbix walked over to it with the newly made natives following him and observed the gloriously dark citadel. From the entrance, suits of armor designed to resemble purple frightening jesters with pale scary smiling faces and assorted weapons were on their knees bowing to their creator.

In one hand, Nairbix had a ball of black sludge with multiple eyes blinking at him. And in the other, a taller glob of sludge with only one eye blinked at him like it was a curious infant. He then dropped the ball on the ground and tossed the glob into the air.

In front of him, the ball grew into a large and wide headless black figure with long arms and short feetless legs connecting to its massive torso. Running along its body like veins, the multiple eyes looked around and swam through the veins getting its bearings before they all focused on Nairbix.

As for the glob, it became a tall skinny black humanoid-like body with an eye as large and yellow as a moon.

"I won't always be here to watch over this land." He said to his creations. "I am trusting this world's protection to you two and all those who are brave enough to defend it. You shall be the Steward to this world." He said pointing to the creature in front of him. "And you shall be the Watchman." He said to the giant.

"You shall be Oclus." He said to the Steward who pressed his hands together and bowed. "And you shall be Testler." He said to the Watchman who simply blinked while it propped itself on its hands and feet like a spider.

So many more creatures began to come forth and receive the knowledge that was being spread into their minds from their creator's magic. Nairbix had no other words to give as he was cupping his hands together concentrating mass amounts of darkness. In his hands after the dark light blinded everyone, a large glass sphere glowing a bright black and yellow sphere radiating darkness. It was a Corner Stone of Darkness! He sent it floating over to a black pedestal to the center of the throne room of the citadel and let its power strengthen the land.

"You all have received the knowledge and freedom to live out your days peacefully here in these lands." Nairbix said to all of the beings he had created in such a short time. "There will be only freedom here. No oppression. Only harmony and peace. No one from the outside shall step in these lands unless I allow it. Everyone here is equal, no one is above or below anyone else.

"This world, shall be one where all can be welcomed. This is a world where those who reside in the dark wish to live in the peaceful dark light that shall forever shine upon this world's soil. Take pride in your home, for all of you are the proud natives of Nueva Destra!" Nairbix cheered as the others followed suit.

After seeing that his new world was secured for a peaceful future, Nairbix reached into his coat and pulled out the broken stone wing that once belonged to Jackdaw. "I won't let this place be ruined. No one shall harm this place like Narnia was, Jackdaw." He said as tears formed in his eyes at the memory of his dear departed friend and home. Gazing at the beautiful world that he created was all Nairbix could do, well, that and smile at it, that is.

He then wisped back to the council room and met the speechless and amazed masters.

"If anyone had doubts about me being a True Master before, I hope that I was able to clear things up for you." Was all Nairbix said to gobsmacked council. At first, there was nothing but silence. But it was Sigurd who broke that silence by beginning to applaud Nairbix.

Soon, Delton joined in smirking with Goldmin, Trisha, Calo, Xehanort, Mickey, Jumba, Natasha and all the others clapping along and cheering. Pride swelled in Nairbix's chest as his friends cheered for him becoming and creating something so great.

As everyone had left the council room, Nairbix's friends on the council came to embrace and congratulate him.

"Well done, Nairbix!" Goldmin cheered smacking his friend's back sending him to the ground.

"Thanks, Gol- Goldmin. Why do you have two mustaches?" Nairbix asked dryly as his friend curled both of his mustaches in-between his fingers.

"Thought I might try something new." He replied.

"…To each their own. I suppose you do pull it off, though." Nairbix admitted staring at the facial hair.

"I have to say, you've really shown us all up, Nairbix." Trisha joked as she ruffled Nairbix's hair.

"Well, that wasn't really my intent." Nairbix admitted sheepishly.

"Relax. I'm just messing with you."

"I'm curious though." Delton mentioned, "Did you actually start your training to become a True Master as soon as you returned home after that meeting two years ago?"

"…Yes." He said through his teeth in annoyance and shame.

"Normally, this would be the part where I would mock you. But considering you've reached a remarkable and legendary feat, I'll bite my tongue." Delton said with his trademark smirk.

"I feel so lucky." Nairbix teased with a sneer.

"You should." Delton retorted draping his arm around Trisha.

"Anyone should if they are able to avoid one of your infamous remarks, Delton." Sigurd joked causing Delton's ego to deflate as he glared at the grandmaster. "Quite frankly, we can all be thankful considering that you seem to go on a roll once you've started."

"Thank you for that, Sigurd. I'll keep those words close and dear to my heart." He said sarcastically.

"Good." The Grandmaster curtly replied. "That was quite the demonstration, Nairbix. I would have never believed that I would witness anything like what you had shown to us." He said before he bowed to Nairbix with the highest respect.

"Well-I-you don't really need to bow or anything." Nairbix stuttered.

"On the contrary." Sigurd disagreed. "You have achieved a rank only two before any of us have done. And one of them was Yen Sid's master. You have my utmost respect. And that is not easily earned, mind you."

"Then, I will honor that respect and make sure to keep it." Nairbix said bowing back.

"I have no doubt that you will." Sigurd replied smirking before walking away.

"And you have mine as well." Goldmin said as he too bowed.

"As well as ours." Delton added as he and Trisha bowed to Nairbix.

"Look at you becoming all popular." Natasha teased punching her friend's shoulder. As the other masters went on their separate ways, Nairbix, his brothers and Natasha returned to Radiant Garden to further celebrate Nairbix's achievement.

Elsewhere, a figure wearing a dark blue coat over black and silver armor was standing at the fountain plaza in Radiant Garden was drawing a large black magical circle. The figure also wore a long chain vest under his armor and a round black helm that covered his head leaving only imagination to describe his face.

As he was drawing the circle, he began to chuckle and mutter to himself. "Soon, this world shall know the consequences of leaning too far into the light. And everyone in it shall witness the might of the Inquisition."

 **Yeah, I made Nairbix create his own world, and this is where most of the demons and monsters he uses in his army live. As for his demon form, the best comparison would be what Sadao Mao in The Devil is a Part-Timer looks like in his demon form. As for the Inquisition, this will be Nairbix's main opposition in the story. Stay tuned and be prepared to have your minds blown when you read who will make an appearance next time!**


	13. The Inquisition and The Demon Lord

**I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or anything Disney.**

While the unknown person was readying his plan, everyone else was at the castle celebrating. The entire rose garden was filled with the royal family, the three VanSull brothers, and the little droid Wall-E too. Streamers and food and balloons could be found all over the place as music and Lea obnoxiously blowing party noise makers filled the air.

"Let's hear it for True Keyblade Master Nairbix VanSull!" Natasha shouted as she and everyone else raised their drinks in Nairbix's name.

"To the Keyblade." Ansem said nodding in respect to his niece's friend.

"To Nairbix." Mickey and Jumba added.

"To Nueva Destra." Nairbix said raising his own glass.

"Let's break out the karaoke machine!" Natasha shouted. "Nairbix, you and me!" She exclaimed pulling Nairbix along with her as Wall-E brought out the machine, mics and television.

"Wait-what?!" He shouted. "Natasha, you know I don't sing!"

"Oh, come on! Live a little!" She said through her laughter while Wall-E selected a song for them to sing. "Oh, good choice, Wall-E." She said reading the title just before the music started.

"If I were a rich girl with a million or two." Natasha began.

"I'd live in a penthouse in a room with a view." Nairbix carried.

"And if I were pretty."

"Which you are."

"Thank you. Those dreams do come true, I wouldn't have nothing if I didn't have you. Wouldn't have nothing if I didn't have. Wouldn't have nothing if I didn't have. Wouldn't have nothing."

"Can I tell you something? For years I have envied."

"You green with it."

"Your grace and your charm. Everyone loves you, you know."

"Yes, I know, I know, I know, I know."

"But I must admit it. Nat, you always come through. I wouldn't have nothing if I didn't have you."

"You and me together. That's how it always should be. One without the other don't mean nothing to me. Nothing to me!" They both sang before Natasha continued.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be nothing if I didn't have you to serve. I'm just punky little redhead with one heck of a nerve. Hey, I never told you this. Sometimes I get a little blue.

"Looks good on you."

"But I wouldn't have nothing if I didn't have you."

"Let's dance." Nairbix said even though it was a part of the song.

"Look, Mom, I'm dancing!" Natasha said reading the words on the screen. "Would you let me lead? Look at that, it's two pals who're light on their feet. Don't you dare dip me! Don't you dare dip me! Don't you dare dip me! Ow, I should have stretched! Yes, I wouldn't be nothing if I didn't have you."

"I know what you mean, Natasha. Because-"

"I wouldn't know where to go."

"Me, too, because I-"

Wouldn't know what to do."

"Why do you keep singing my part?"

"I don't have to say it." They sang.

"Ah, say it anyway." Natasha said.

"Cause we both know it's true. I wouldn't have nothing if I didn't have. I wouldn't have nothing if I didn't have. I wouldn't have nothing if I didn't have…you." They sang just before Natasha continued the song.

"One more time! Big one!"

"Don't have to say it."

"Where'd everybody come from?!"

"Because we both know it's true."

"Let's take it home, big guy!"

"I wouldn't have nothing if I didn't have. I wouldn't have nothing if I didn't have. I wouldn't have nothing if I didn't have you.

"You, you, you, you! A, E, I, O. That means you, yeah." Natasha sang ending the song.

Later on after everyone had a chance to sing, Natasha's mother, Rebecca, was giggling at the sight of her children playing with her brother while the three brothers were laughing along with her as they watched Ansem carry his sister's children on his back.

"They seem to really enjoy tackling their uncle, huh, Rebecca?" Nairbix asked as he sat on the ground next to the older redhead.

"Yes." She said with a faint yet sad smile. "If only their father were here to see them like this. He'd be so proud."

"I can't imagine why he wouldn't." Nairbix said sincerely as the siblings brought their uncle to the ground. "If I may, what ever happened to their father?"

"…Silino." Rebecca whispered choking on her late husband's name. "Silino was the most caring man I had ever met. But he wasn't always in the best of health. He passed away due to an illness shortly after Lea was born. At least he died with that lovable smile of his." She said as her eyes glistened with tears.

"Please don't-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset." Nairbix said wanting to comfort the woman.

"Relax, Nairbix. These aren't tears of sadness. They're that of joy over the wonderful memories that I have of that wonderful man." Rebecca said taking the Narnian's hand in hers.

Back in the fountain plaza, the mysterious figure completed his circle. After taking in the sight of his work, he began to recite an incantation so old and dark, the only person who could possibly understand it would be Nairbix himself.

As he carried on his demonic outcry, the sky grew darker and the circle grew brighter as the air grew cold and deathly. Now, as anyone can imagine, magic is full of limitless potential just like anyone who is gifted with the wonderful thing known as imagination. It has proven time and time again throughout the history of all worlds that it is the most powerful thing. But when these two meet and someone has a more devious mind, you can be sure that something beyond comprehension will occur.

Such as bringing the dead back to life.

"Rise. Demon Lord of Bald Mountain."

"What in the name of the Emperor Beyond the Sea is going on?" Nairbix asked as everyone looked up at the black sky.

In the town, Merlin walked outside of his little home and looked at the sky with dread as though he knew what was to come. "Oh, my." He trembled before rushing back inside. As he took out his wand and recited a spell of his own, all of the graves that were in Radiant Garden glowed with a pure bright light for a moment. "Let no soul ever be tormented by that monster again." Merlin said still trembling with fear.

"That meddlesome wizard." The man said as his circle was being replaced with a gigantic black body rising from the ground or to be more precise, hell.

The newly arrived creature was covered in gnarly, black skin over its muscular body. It had the most hideous and frightening face with pupil-less yellow eyes and horns that could tear through the sky, and on its back were wings as large as a mountain and as destructive as a hurricane.

"Who dares to disturb me from my damnation?" It asked in a voice that would make anyone collapse in fear.

"Someone in need of your strength, oh, damned one."

"I'd prefer a name."

"My name is of no importance. But for the sake of not being rude as to avoid an introduction, you can call me, Inquisitor." He informed as the beast sniffed him.

"You reek of human flesh." It snarled.

"And you reek of blood and brimstone." Inquisitor retorted calmly. "But aside from our own odors. I believe you owe me an introduction. After all, where we would be without manners?"

"Fair enough." It said flaring its nostrils. "I am Chernabog. Demon Lord of Bald Mountain. And do not take me for a fool as to why you have resurrected me. This isn't my first time returning from hell, you know.

"Yes. I'm aware of that. I'm also aware that this marks your fifty-fourth chance at life." Inquisitor said surprising the demon that he knew that fact.

"Indeed. And in every chance I've had, the person or people who gives that chance always want me to do something for them to repay them. What is it that you want?" Chernabog asked glaring at the helm wearing man.

"Well, I've put together what you may call an inquisition. I want to let the worlds that stray too far into either the light or darkness know what happens when they stray from the path of balance. I want to let them know what those of the inquisition have dedicated their lives and deaths for."

"And…you want me to…promote your ideals to this world?" Chernabog asked as Inquisitor laughed through his nose.

"I would very much appreciate it if you would be…the counter weight to this world of light. I trust that you can come up with your own understanding of what that means, yes?" He asked smirking behind his helm while Chernabog smiled maliciously.

Back in the garden, Mickey, Natasha and Nairbix could sense the mass amounts of dark and negative energy that was enveloping the world by the second.

"What the hell is that?" Natasha asked.

"Nairbix?" Mickey asked as he saw his brother tremble for the first time in his life.

"Oh, save us." He muttered.

"Nairbix, what is it?" Jumba asked as he took hold his brother's shaking shoulders.

"…Is anyone familiar with the tale of Chernabog the damned?" He asked fearfully as everyone grew pale. "Mickey, Natasha. You best burry your fear deep inside yourselves and throw it away. Because today, we can't be afraid. Jumba, you best ready your best experiments. Rebecca, alert everyone in town to retreat to the castle. No one is to step foot outside until this threat has ended."

"Right." They said before they all ran inside leaving the only three that could fight. As the evacuation was commencing, Chernabog was staring down at the town with his arms crossed as he rose from the plaza with the ground surrounding his lower torso forming a knockoff of his mountain.

"He's an ugly thing, isn't he?" Natasha joked nervously as they all saw the demon rise from the ground.

"You know, I wasn't really expecting to use my newfound powers for more than creating Nueva Destra today." Nairbix said bluntly with a nervous smirk.

"Really? Well, I honestly didn't expect to face off against a fifty-foot demon that is capable of summoning the spirts of the dead and unleash the fires of hell on us today." Natasha added as Chernabog caught sight of them. "Oh, look that. He's noticed us."

"Yay." Mickey and Nairbix said dryly as they summoned their Keyblades and Natasha ignited her lightsaber.

"My, my, my. Not just one, but two wielders of the Keyblade? How wonderful." Chernabog thought. Before his three opponents could make a move, Chernabog extended his left index finger and created a massive ball of dark energy just above his fingertip. With a devilish smirk, he flicked his attack in the direction of the castle.

Thanks to his quick reflexes, Nairbix was able to create a wall of barrier octagons with a wave of his hand just before the destructive sphere hit the castle. But the blast was still able to knock all of them down to the ground giving Chernabog another chance to strike.

"Oh, poor things." He taunted as he tried to call forth the spirts of the dead of the world only to be unsuccessful. "Merlin." Chernabog growled as he sensed the wizard's magic cover the graves. While this distracted him, Nairbix took the opportunity to send an arch of dark energy from his Keyblade at Chernabog.

Thankfully, the attack hit the demon head on and gave his friends the chance to strike. However, due to the distance between them and the fact that only Nairbix had long ranged attacks strong enough to do some damage, Mickey and Natasha's attacks were fruitless.

"We need to get closer." Nairbix said under his breath. He then jumped back to the others and placed one hand on one of the others' shoulders and sent his magic flowing into them. With this, he was able to grant the two of them the ability to fly just for this battle.

"It doesn't look like my last attack did much damage to him." Nairbix admitted still glaring at Chernabog.

"Aside from making him even angrier, that is." Natasha corrected.

"Either of you guys have an idea?" Mickey asked fearfully as Chernabog's strength only continued to grow.

"The only thing that might work, would be for all of us to hit him with everything we've got as hard as we can." Natasha replied.

"That might be a bit difficult for me." Nairbix informed.

"Nairbix, what are you saying?" Natasha asked.

"I used most of my strength in creating Nueva Destra. I doubt that I could even transform at this point even if I wanted to."

"Why did this thing have to be resurrected today?!" Natasha shrieked. From the corner of his eye, Nairbix spotted Inquisitor attempting to make his escape.

"Guys, I think I just saw who brought back Chernabog."

"What, where is he?" Mickey asked.

"He's heading into the town."

"Well, don't just stand there! Go get him!" Natasha shouted.

"But what about-"

"We'll be fine. If that was who you think it was, then we need answers. Now go!" She ordered. Nairbix was reluctant, but he gave in to his friend's demand.

"You really think we can take him?" Mickey asked the princess.

"…He wouldn't have left us if I told him what I really thought." Natasha said quietly before taking off into the air with Mickey behind her.

As the duo was off fighting Chernabog, Nairbix was running faster than he had ever ran before in his life to try and find his target. Unknowing of his pursuer, Inquisitor was smugly staring at the sight of the battle. That is until Nairbix tackled him to the ground in anger.

"Are you the one who brought him here?" Nairbix asked while trying to catch his breath.

"Heheh, indeed I am, Nairbix VanSull." Inquisitor replied causing Nairbix to summon his Keyblade in defense.

"How do you know my name?" He growled eyes blazing.

"Who hasn't heard of the third True Master of the Keyblade? Though I'm sure you're more curious as to who I am, am I wrong?"

"Talk." He spat with his anger still growing.

"Very well. I cannot give you my name as of yet. However, I can tell you why I am doing this." Inquisitor said as he took off his right glove. With his arm extended and palm facing Nairbix, a symbol on his flesh appeared like a burn. It was a hollowed upside-down triangle with a circle in the center with a spiked cross imbedded in the circle and above the triangle was a tilted crescent moon facing down.

"I am the Grand Inquisitor of the Universal Inquisition. Our objective is to rebuild the balance between light and darkness of all worlds."

"Then why unleash a being of pure darkness like Chernabog in a world of light like this?" Nairbix asked.

"His darkness makes him the perfect counterweight for this world's light."

"What about the citizens, then? They have more light in their hearts than darkness; so what about them?" Nairbix asked hotly, but Inquisitor said nothing though it was clear he was smirking. "You wouldn't." Nairbix denied as dread and realization came to him.

"Wouldn't I?" After hearing this, Nairbix roared as he charged at his enemy slashing wildly in rage as Inquisitor tried to defend himself only to prove Nairbix was more skilled. His weapon was a simple broadsword with a black hilt and guard while the blade was as blue as a sapphire.

Back with Natasha and Mickey, the two were flying at incredible speeds as they attempted to hack Chernabog with their weapons.

"Natasha!" Mickey shouted as he waved for her to come over to him. Seeing that her comrade was floating in front of Chernabog's face surrounded in a sphere of light, Natasha caught on to the plan and flew to the mouse.

"Light, give us power!" They both shouted as they sent a powerful shower of light in the demon's face as they spun in a circle. But, it only made Chernabog angry as he swatted them away like flies.

"I'm not done yet!" Mickey shouted as he began to focus his power and magic into his Keyblade. As the magic began to surround him and glow, Mickey snapped his eyes open and his head up as eight sharp blades of magical glass hovered behind his back.

With this new technique literally at his back, Mickey used the blades to slice, stab and shred Chernabog as he once again tried to swat the little mouse out of the sky. While Mickey did this, Natasha took the chance to run her lightsaber through Chernabog's neck all the way up to his skull.

Unfortunately, it only caused him to clutch his head in pain and not kill him. Natasha then did something that made all of Chernabog's pain be replaced with anger. In one swift slash of her lightsaber, she cut his right horn off of his head before landing gracefully on the ground.

Chernabog could only touch the searing stump that once held his horn and glare at the Jedi princess in anger.

"Aw, is someone upset that he lost his horn?" She asked as she used the Force to pick up the massive severed horn with ease. "Here! Take it!" She shouted as she chucked it at the demon with the speed of a rocket.

But Chernabog caught what once was his in a deadly grip as he glared and snarled at Natasha. "Now you've gone and made me mad, you whelp!" He shouted as he crushed his horn in his grip. As he crossed his arms over his shoulders, Chernabog unleashed two crimson blasts of energy from his eyes destroying the ground at Natasha's feet.

With satisfaction on his face from the sight, Chernabog believed that he had killed the princess. But this thought was quickly blasted away as Natasha sent out a blast of light energy from her hand as she wiped her blood away with her other hand.

"Go to hell, monster." She muttered while Mickey continued his own onslaught on the demon.

As this was going on, Nairbix was having an easier time beating Inquisitor into submission. In fact, he was literally beating him with his bare hands into the ground. "Flux Wave!" He shouted as he pressed both of his hands against his foe's chest making the crater they were in even deeper.

As the dust and granite cleared, Inquisitor laid motionless in the crater for a moment. But he quickly grabbed his sword and skewered Nairbix's neck. As he pushed off Nairbix, he slowly got up and dusted himself off as he chuckled.

"What are you laughing at?" Nairbix asked as he rose from the ground and pulled the sword from his neck leaving only a scar on both sides of his neck. "It'll take more than that to kill me." He growled tossing the sword to the ground.

"So it would seem." Inquisitor sighed as he picked up his weapon. Things seemed to be going nowhere fast for both battles. Both Natasha and Mickey were heavily battered and bloody while Chernabog only had a few scrapes and cuts scattered across his body.

"I don't think this is working too well for us, Mickey." Natasha said while panting.

"Don't give up just yet, Nairbix would kill us if we did." Mickey joked bluntly.

"I'm impressed that the two of you have lasted this long." Chernabog commented gaining the duo's attention. "But in the end, all of you will die. I will unleash the fires of hell upon this world and I will personally eradicate every last man, woman and child here. Starting with the royal family." He said chuckling at Natasha.

"No!" She shouted in protest as she charged at the demon. Because anger filled her thoughts, Chernabog was able to counter her attack with a simple punch. "Okay, bad idea." Natasha muttered as she coughed up blood from the ruble she was lying in.

While Natasha and Mickey continued to struggle against the being of damnation, Nairbix continued to fight against both Inquisitor and exhaustion.

"Chains!" He bellowed as the multiple links shot from his hand and struck his helm wearing foe. Several of them pierced his arms and shoulders while the others wrapped themselves around his sword and legs as he yanked on them. With Inquisitor hurling towards himself, Nairbix took the chance in slugging him with Flux Wave powered fist knocking off his helm.

"Now, let's see who you truly are." Nairbix said as he limped over to turn the body over. But just before he could reach Inquisitor's shoulder, his body began to rapidly expand. His body began to swell so much, his neck, torso and head covered his face just before the unthinkable happened. Inquisitor exploded.

Thankfully, Nairbix was able to create a barrier fast enough to block the blast while simultaneously healing his injuries. After the blast ended and the smoke cleared and Nairbix's eyes adjusted, Inquisitor and his helm were gone.

"That tricky bastard." He growled. In the distance, a powerful explosion filled the air. "Oh, no." He muttered as dread filled him before darting back to the others. When he arrived at the plaza, he found nothing but ruble. Chernabog, Natasha and Mickey were nowhere to be found.

Before any negative thoughts could come to mind, a stray ball of fire came close to hitting his feet from the sky. He looked up and saw Natasha attempting to slice one of Chernabog's arms to ribbons while Mickey fired the Flame Volley shot lock.

"Oh, thank Aslan." He breathed in relief at the sight of his loved ones still alive. But it wasn't the proper time to be relieved, for Chernabog seemed no closer to dying again than when he left.

"Glad you could make it." Natasha dryly teased as both she and Mickey came back down to meet their friend.

"Wouldn't miss it for all the worlds." Nairbix replied smirking. "How are we doing so far?"

"Well, we have greatly succeeded in pissing him off." She informed while Mickey nodded.

"That's to be expected since you cut off his horn, Natasha." Mickey reminded. "How did it go on your end, Brother?"

"Well, apparently, there is a Universal Inquisition somewhere out there and its Grand Inquisitor is the person who so kindly unleashed this hell on us!" Nairbix exclaimed.

"How generous of him." Natasha said dryly with sarcasm. Nairbix then unleashed a devastating blast of dark energy from the tip of his Keyblade at Chernabog and watched as he screeched in agony and fell from the sky.

"Why the hell didn't you do that earlier?!" Natasha shouted smacking Nairbix upside the head.

"I figured that yours and Mickey's versions could do just as much damage." He replied calmly.

"These pests are more formidable than I thought." Chernabog thought as he clutched his bleeding arm. "I need time to heal. Hopefully, this will keep them busy." He thought as he reeled his head back and unleashed a swarm from his mouth.

From his mouth came thousands of human sized, green muscular monsters with giant wings and long sharp horns. They all flew down from the sky like pelting raindrops while Chernabog retreated to the canyon levels the world.

"Oh, of course." Mickey whined.

"Don't worry, I have a plan." Nairbix reassured.

"What is it?" Natasha asked.

"I'm gonna use Fealty to capture them all."

"Seriously?! But there are thousands of them, how are you going to capture them all?" Mickey asked as Nairbix looked at them sheepishly.

"Hmph, didn't see that coming." Natasha said sarcastically as she and Mickey covered Nairbix while he readied his next move. While they fended off the little demons, Nairbix focused his energy into Heartbreaker to ready Fealty.

With the technique ready, Nairbix pointed his Keyblade at the sky and unleashed a net made of dark energy that stretched for miles in every direction. As the net closed in on all of the demons, it slowly reeled them in as they all attempted to escape screeching as the net grew smaller and smaller. Once they were all absorbed into Heartbreaker, Nairbix collapsed in exhaustion.

"What's wrong with him?" Natasha asked as she cradled his head in her lap.

"He's spent too much of his strength. Creating Nueva Destra used up seventy-five percent of his strength so all of this must of finished off the remaining twenty-five." Mickey replied.

"What do we do now?"

"Chernabog is still out there. He's weakened, but he's still a problem. You're the one who'll have to beat him, Natasha."

"What about you, Mickey?"

"I've got just enough strength to get me and Nairbix back to the castle. I'd go with you, but if we leave him here, there's no way to be sure if Chernabog will come back to kill him or not." He replied.

"Right." She said standing up and looking at the direction where Chernabog was. "If I don't come back, tell him how I feel for me." She pleaded.

"You can tell him yourself when you come back alive." Mickey said sternly. "You can do this, Natasha. We all believe in you."

"Thanks, Mick." She said before she quickly hugged him before running off.


	14. Princess Natasha vs Lord Chernabog

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or anything Disney. Only Nairbix, Nueva Destra, the inquisition and every Keyblade master on the council I've revealed except for Eraqus and Xeheanort. There will be more at the end of the chapter.**

Fifty-four times Chernabog had lived, and in every lifetime, he had always faced someone who wanted to end the threats he imposed on the worlds he invaded. But in all of his previous chances at life, he had never fought anyone quite like the three children he had just faced. Clearly, he would need to take things more seriously should they find him and attempt to finish him.

While Chernabog was mulling things over in his head, Natasha was continuing her search for the demon in the maze like canyon. Thankfully, it seemed that he had unleashed all of his miniature demons earlier so there were no threats she needed to worry about until she found her target. As she walked through the blue stone canyon and moved fallen boulders by use of the Force, the Jedi princess came to meet her foe.

No words were exchanged as they rushed each other in a blur of speed. The two then flew out of the gorge and stared each other down just before attacking again. Despite his massive form, Chernabog proved that he had unbelievable speed as he flickered behind Natasha and brought down his fists to crush her.

But Natasha had a remarkable speed of her own and was able to dodge the hammer fist. But she still wasn't quick enough to dodge Chernabog's improvised finger flick. This blow sent her flailing through the air while the demon lord grinned maliciously.

"Surely, you can do better, little princess." He teased as he stared down at Natasha as she struggled to get up. While she struggled to pick herself up and hold down the blood trying to escape from her mouth, she used the Force to take a chunk of the canyon and hurdle it at Chernabog's head.

As the massive boulder was able to put him in a daze, Natasha took the chance to use her magic to heal most of her wounds before she used the Force to further attack her foe. She soon took the chance and tossed her lightsaber at Chernabog and successfully punctured his left eye.

While he was screeching in pain, Natasha leaped to his face grabbed her weapon and etched her attack into Chernabog's head as she dragged it through his thick flesh. But Chernabog quickly gained his composure and slammed Natasha with his massive hands.

But Natasha was just as quick and used the Force to create a tight field around her just before the large, black and gnarly hands could squish her. As the strength of the Force struggled against Chernabog's, Natasha cried out as she slowly and steadily over powered her nemesis's attempt to kill her.

"Stop resisting and let me squish you!" Chernabog shouted as veins began to show on his arms, hands and head.

"Like hell!" She replied as she unleashed a burst of strength causing the hands to be pushed away. With the thoughts of how the demon fought racing through her head, Natasha did the smart thing and gained a good distance away from Chernabog.

"This little girl is certainly making me angrier than I have ever been in all my years. No lie." He said with an overly sick smile. As he was giving this anger laced smile, a large pulsing vein formed over his temple just before he shouted at the princess. "You annoying brat! I hope you'll enjoy suffering the same fate as this world and all who live in it!"

As he gave his outcry, he raised his magic covered left fist and punched the sky. As this happened, the magic left by Merlin was shattered and the tormented souls of the dead rose from their graves. Now, Chernabog had a vortex of spirits surrounding him giving him an even more terrifying look than before.

At the sight of this, Natasha only had two words to say and they were in the native language of her late father. "Bozhe moi."

As the redheaded princess was facing hell itself, Mickey and the royal family were trying to settle and protect the townsfolk. The castle was thankfully big enough to house all of the citizens with still more than enough room and safety but that still didn't reassure the people.

"Your Majesty!" Merlin called as he ran over to Rebecca with the others at her side.

"What is it, Merlin?" She asked the panicked old wizard.

"Chernabog has just broken my seal over Radiant Garden's departed souls. He has complete control over all of the spirits of the dead." He explained.

"Wonderful." She said dryly. "Is there any way to rebuild your spell?"

"No, I'm afraid not. I was only able to create it the first time because Chernabog was still being summoned. I had hoped that he would be weak enough for Princess Natasha, Mickey and Nairbix to defeat quickly. I see now that I was wrong and that he has recovered faster this time." Merlin admitted.

"Don't worry, Your Highness." Mickey said to Rebecca. "Natasha will win. Have faith in her and she'll be fine."

"Thank you, Mickey. But in cases such as this, we need more than faith alone."

"Maybe, but it's all we have right now. Believe me, I hated to leave her alone like that but I'd be no help at all and she would kill me if I died helping her." The little mouse replied sadly.

"You've done all you can." She said softly cupping his round face. "Rest. It's time for us to do what we can and keep the spirits of these people up."

As she looked at the sight of her frightened subjects, the queen of Radiant Garden gathered her wits and marched to them in order to help.

Elsewhere, back over the canyons, Natasha was slashing away the dammed spirits in a blur unfazed by the terrifying expressions. As anyone can imagine, trying to destroy something already dead has its own difficulty but trying to do that to a multitude of dead things made it nearly impossible.

Most of the spirits that Chernabog had summoned began to change form as the demon reconstructed them. Some were simple white ghosts made to look like frightening warrior and horsemen. Others were made from the hell fires that Chernabog exhaled as he breathed.

The most she could do was slash at them and use the few seconds she had to advance and gather them with the power of the Force before blasting them away in all directions.

Chernabog could only snicker and smirk at her feeble attempts at eliminating the spirits he unleashed. He then willed all of them to surround Natasha in a vortex of death closing in on her with each passing second. With the vortex closing in, the oxygen inside began to deplete and brought Natasha to the ground gasping for the tiniest bit of air.

If by pure adrenaline, the Princess of Heart was able to gather the Force around her and concentrate its power. By now, a sphere of the Force was surrounding her as she crouched down and covered her face with her arms. With her anger and courage rising, Natasha unleashed all of the energy around her and permanently rid herself of the ghosts.

Chernabog gave no expression as he and his opponent glared at one another. "I have had enough of this." They both thought bitterly. After they both thought this, Chernabog decided to further toy with his prey and torment her mind with magic.

In her mind, Natasha was shown many terrible things. In the future, she would be able to tell people what would actually come true and what wouldn't. At first, she saw nothing but fire and destruction. For a moment, she thought it was the remnants of Radiant Garden after Chernabog's attack. But she found herself wrong when she saw how greatly the technology resembled the kind she found in her short time in the other galaxy.

Images of death and chaos ran through her mind before everything went dark. Cries of women, children and men rang through her ears before Chernabog's voice spoke over them.

"Listen to them." He said softly. "Hear their cries and screams as pain and death takes them. One day, you will hear them again but you will face the terror of seeing them die and suffer. Nothing will stop what is to come. You will fight. You will kill. And you will be destroyed in the worst way possible."

Natasha said nothing as she shut her eyes and clutched her head in agony as she heard and saw Chernabog's torture. But just as it was about to end, she heard a very distinct cackle and then the sound she would forever hate. A deep metallic breathing that echoed through her ears.

"Natasha, open your eyes!" A voice shouted in her mind. It briefly sounded like Qui-Gon's.

She did as she was told and saw that Chernabog was readying his next attack. His right arm was reeled back above his head ready to smash his palm on her. She quickly dashed away just before he could do so.

"Do you really believe that you can stop all this, little princess?" Chernabog asked mockingly. "This world shall fall and all those in it will perish with it. This is how it will end eventually, it is the fate of all worlds. Who are you to prevent such a thing?"

Natasha said nothing at first. Her curls only covered her eyes as she trembled with anger before she looked up and gave her answer.

"I am Princess Natasha Romanoff!" She cried as her magic surrounded her in a bright aura. In a blur of speed, she rushed to Chernabog's arm and rolled straight up his form arm slicing it with her crimson lightsaber. As she reached his shoulder, she grabbed onto his remaining horn and tossed him clear across the sky over the canyon.

She then bit both of her thumbs drawing blood and slammed her hands on the ground creating a large, bright purple magical circle beneath the demon lord. As it appeared, two circles of magical rectangles surrounded her and spinning in two different directions. From above her head, another purple circle appeared and sent a devastating blast of energy into the air. As it reached the clouds, it split into countless balls of energy that rained down on Chernabog and caused agonizing pain.

"Insolent little brat!" Chernabog bellowed as he tried to fly over to her but found that he couldn't move. "The circle!" He realized, "I can't move!"

"That's right, you can't!" Natasha shouted back with a wicked smirk as she activated the circle's other ability, total destruction.

"Damn it!" He shouted as the magic activated from beneath his feet. It was a massive geyser of purple and white energy that pushed him into the air. But Chernabog wasn't through, not yet. "I won't die again after only an hour!" He screamed in protest, as he said this, he began to push himself against the energy and try to kill Natasha.

"Oh, no you don't!" She refused with gritting teeth. The magic she had been using was already putting too much strain on her body and by now with the added trouble of keeping up with Chernabog, blood was bursting out of random parts of her body and tears of blood ran down her face. "Never gets easy." She thought bluntly.

"You won't kill me so easily, Natasha!" He shouted.

"That's what you think, Chernabog, you bastard!" She retorted as she strengthened the attack.

"I won't be defeated like this! I am the mighty Chernabog, don't look down on me!"

But the attack overpowered him and engulfed his body in blinding destruction. All that could be heard throughout the world was the sound of the explosion and the final cry of the demon lord of bald mountain.

"Burn in hell." Natasha groaned as she spit up blood and passed out. The next thing she knew, she was in her bedroom and on her bed. She looked around and saw her mother, brother, uncle, Nairbix and his brothers all asleep.

Without any warning, Nairbix's head shot straight up and looked the princess in the eye before dashing to her bedside. Thankfully, he hadn't done it quietly and woke everyone else up causing them all to rush over to her.

"Sweetheart, are-are you alright?" Rebecca asked as tears came to fill her eyes.

"I'm fine, Mom, really."

"I was so worried." She sobbed as she held her daughter.

"Thanks, Mom. But I had everything under control. And hey, that wrinkly bastard is back in hell thanks to me, right?" She asked only to have her mother get onto her.

"Watch your language, young lady." She warned.

"Yes, Mom." She replied dryly but with a smirk.

"I mean it, Natasha. Honestly, I don't know where the hell you get it from." Rebecca said adding her own curse. "Certainly not from your father or uncle."

"Yeah, sure is a mystery." Nairbix thought bluntly knowing where his crush acquired her choice of words. "Now that she's up, don't you think we ought to show her what the town looks like?"

"Good idea, Nairbix." Ansem agreed. He then helped Natasha out of bed and opened the doors that led to her balcony. Once everyone's eyes adjusted to the bright light, they all saw the townsfolk working together to repair the damage done by Chernabog.

"Look, it's the princess!" Someone shouted. Everyone had stopped what they were doing and looked up to see their savior and beloved princess awake.

"Princess Natasha!" A woman cheered. Soon everyone was looking at the young monarch and cheering for her.

"You certainly know how to make an impression on people, Natasha." Nairbix teased. She looked at all of them as they smiled at her and saw her closest friend begin to clap for her. Soon, everyone on the balcony joined in with the townspeople following.

All cheered for her and showed the young princess just how admired and loved by her people she was.

After several more days of recuperation, Nairbix left Radiant Garden and headed to the Master's Castle to inform the council about Inquisitor and his inquisition.

"This is a serious situation you've told us, Nairbix." Sigurd replied after Nairbix finished his report.

"I'm aware of that. Which is why we must look into this…Universal Inquisition. If its leader was capable of resurrecting Chernabog of all things just for one world, I'd hate to see what they have in store for the other worlds."

"He's right." Delton agreed, "We need to look into any events that have or will endanger the worlds in extreme measures like this. There's no telling whether or not this was the first act of this inquisition."

"Agreed, but how is it we will be able to tell if any said events are connected to the inquisition?" Goldmin asked as he stroked his mustaches.

"Look out for its symbol." Nairbix replied, "Apparently, they use magic to cover up the brands on their hands. It's their calling card and they want people to know about them. Either to fear them or join them."

"It seems our time of peace is coming to an end. All populated worlds that have been claimed as a master's territory are to know about the inquisition including any surrounding worlds. Any newly gained information is to be reported immediately. Dismissed."

 **I know, I know the fight between Chenrnabog and Natasha was short. But I already told all of you, I am not the best when it comes to writing fight scenes. Not to mention, considering Chernabog's size, it was difficult to write something clearly for a fight between him and Natasha. Anyway, as you may have guessed it, the inquisition will be Nairbix's number one challenge in this story. Regarding who Inquisitor is, I will only say, that when I do reveal who they really are, you will flip!**

 **What's more, the next chapter will be a filler just before we get back into Star Wars. In case you just want to wait for what is, don't read the next sentence. It'll be Halloweentown 2. Hope you liked this chapter and I hope the same for the rest to come.**


	15. Halloweentown : Kalabar's Revenge

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or anything Disney, only my own characters and locations. This chapter has no significance to The Vengeful Key, whatsoever. It's just a filler that I thought I'd use to lengthen the time before we get back to the important chapters, which will start back up after this one. Also, there will be another a.n. after the chapter for some more details. Enjoy!**

Two years had passed since Natasha had dealt with Chernabog and the inquisition made its first appearance. Ironically, it hadn't made another move since then. Most members on the council (namely Eraqus) were convinced that it was nothing to be worried about and that Nairbix was simply paranoid. Thankfully, his friends on/off the council believed him and continued to wait out for the inquisition to make its next move.

But aside from that, peace seemed to continue. Currently, Nairbix was enjoying a quiet afternoon as he happily awaited for his homemade toffee to be ready in the oven. While it was baking, Nairbix walked over to a silver floating dish filled with water and looked into it. To better explain, it was Nairbix's personal Witch's Glass that he created with the house to keep an eye on Halloweentown. Right now, he was looking at the happy faces of the creatures he once called neighbors walking through town.

As he was grinning at the sight, the images froze up for a moment just before the water rippled repeatedly. "The hell?" He asked as he waved his magic over the glass only to have the images cut out completely. "Something's wrong. Nothing should cause a Witch's Glass to act like this, especially one that I made. I better check with Aggie about this." He said as he summoned a corridor leading to the mortal world.

As the darkness cleared, he found himself once again walking the streets that led to the Piper's house only to see that it actually had decorations for Halloween. "Well, looks like Aggie managed to get at least some of the mile long stick out of Gwen's ass." He said bluntly, clearly he still wasn't too fond of his teacher's daughter.

As he let himself in, he began to wonder how many years had passed since his previous interaction in this world. He then spotted an older and much taller Dylan serving snacks while multiple kids ran around in costumes with an older cowgirl dressed Sophie.

"A few apparently." He muttered. He then noticed how the children were playing strange games and running around. One of them involved sticking someone's head in a tub of water in order to grab an apple with their teeth. "Humans." He said shaking his head at their antics.

Surprisingly, no one noticed that he was there which gave him the chance to sneak around and look for Aggie. As he scanned the room, a teenage girl dressed like a vampire took a glance at him before rolling her eyes with her friends.

"Talk about a tacky costume." She said looking at his coat.

"Tacky, huh?" He growled, he then twirled his hand and caused the girl's shoelaces to come untied and retied to the other shoe causing her to fall flat on her face. "Happy Halloween." He snickered.

A few minutes later, he found an older and taller Marnie dressed in a purple witch's robe with silver stars and moons with a matching pointy hat.

"Nairbix?" She asked not believing her old friend was right in front of her.

"Hey, Marnie." He greeted before she pulled him into a hug.

"It's so good to see you again! And look at you, you look like you're the same age as me."

"Well, it's been more than just two years for me, Marnie. In fact, I've already completed my training and I've even become a True Master of the Keyblade."

"You know, I think I remember Grandma saying something about that."

"She did?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah, she said it was the highest rank for people like you and only two had ever done it." She replied.

"Well, that changed about two years ago. Along with other things." He muttered. "So, how have things been with you guys?"

"Pretty good, actually. Mom's finally letting us celebrate Halloween, obviously. Grandma's been training me and Sophie and Dylan is still as boring as ever." She said making Nairbix sweatdrop at the last statement. "I'm curious though, why'd you decide to visit us now?"

"Well, I think something's wrong in Halloweentown. Earlier today, I looked into my Witch's Glass and everything went all haywire. I came here to see if anything was wrong or if Aggie knew anything." He explained as they walked into the kitchen.

"She might. But Grandma's been busy entertaining the kids all night. Maybe after the party, we can talk to her about it." Marnie offered.

"Talk about what?" Gwen asked as she walked into the kitchen. "Oh, hi, Nairbix. I didn't know you were coming."

"Hello, Gwen. And I just arrived a few minutes ago. Is Aggie around?" He asked.

"Um, yeah, she's in the den passing out candy and toys for the kids with Sophie. Why?" Gwen asked.

"There's something I need to talk to her about." He replied before someone made themselves known.

"Knock, knock." A young man said knocking on the door frame, Marnie made sure to quietly let her mother and friend know she found the stranger alluring. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I'm Kal, my dad and I just moved in down the street, I heard about your party and thought I'd stop by." He said flashing a charming smile.

"Well, welcome to the neighborhood. I'm Gwen, this is my daughter Marnie and this is Nairbix, he's an old student of my mother." She said kindly as she and Marnie smiled at him. However, Nairbix was leering at him, to him he smelled familiar.

"A student, huh? What'd she teach?" Kal asked.

"Cooking!" Marnie threw out knowing her friend didn't lie. "She taught him how to cook."

"Cool." He said before looking back at Marnie. "You know, if all witches were as pretty as you, they'd probably have a better reputation." For a moment, she panicked but realized he was referring to her costume.

"Oh, thanks." She said blushing.

"Poser!" Nairbix said faking a cough earning glares from the Pipers.

"Nairbix," Marnie said gritting her teeth, "Don't you need to talk to Grandma, you know, to exchange recipes?" She asked.

"Right, sorry. Don't let me ruin Valentine's-I mean Halloween for you two." He teased as he walked away. He then found his old teacher and her granddaughter doing as Gwen had said, passing out treats for the kids.

"Good to see that Gwen's given you some slack on that leash of hers for you tonight, eh, Aggie?" He asked gaining the Cromwells' attention.

"Nairbix!" Sophie exclaimed as she rushed over to hug him tightly.

"Hey, Soapy." He teased.

"Sophie!" She corrected.

"Oh, right! Sophie, that's how you say it." Nairbix teased before Aggie cupped his face in her hands.

"Oh, look at you! So handsome and tall! Seems like you've even surpassed Yen Sid's master as well." She added softly.

"Yep, as of two years ago." He replied while Sophie continued to pass out treats. But when she tried to pull out one for the last kid, she found the bag was empty!

"Uh, Grandma, it's empty." She whispered.

"Well, of course it's empty!" She replied merrily for the kids, "It's always empty that's because of the magic!"  
"Aggie, it's literally empty. Not even magically." Nairbix informed as he peered into the bag.

"That's impossible." She denied before sticking her head into the bag. Seeing that it was indeed empty, Aggie apologized to the kids saying she ran out. "I've had this bag for centuries and it's never been empty!" She grunted as she shook the bag.

"Empty?" Marnie asked as she and Dylan walked over to them.

"Well, it's no wonder." Dylan threw out, "Every day for two years pulling out decorations, skeletons, enchanted toads, bad issues of magic monthly and let's not forget about the ogre with the flatulence problem. Hey, Nairbix." He said calmly with a grin.

"Good to see you, Dylan."

"Stinky!" Sophie exclaimed regarding the ogre, "I miss him." She pouted.

"It just can't run out! It's connected to my house back in Halloweentown with all my charms and all my spells." Aggie said in frustration.

"Maybe we should pop back to see if anything's wrong." Nairbix suggested.

"Can I go? Can I go?" Sophie pleaded.

"Forget it, Sophie." Marnie said dryly, "Mom already put the big foot down. None of us an go." She reminded.

"Speak for yourselves. I can go." Nairbix corrected.

"Perhaps I can tell her I need your help with some technical problems." Aggie suggested.

"I'll get my coat." Sophie said happily.

"This will never work." Marnie said with dread.

"Oh, don't worry, dear. I'll use my utmost powers of persuasion, it'll work." Aggie said with her usual gleam of mischief.

"And here I thought we'd be avoiding the usual family melt down this year." Dylan dryly joked causing his sister to sneer at him. After convincing Gwen and losing Sophie, Aggie, Marnie, Nairbix and Dylan were discussing their plan.

"Now, if anything should come up, have your mother call me on my headphone." Aggie informed her grandson.

"You mean cellphone." Dylan corrected.

"Headphone." Aggie said as whipped out two shrunken heads, one blue and one red.

"What good are those things?" Dylan asked.

"Well, they're a little bit like your walkie-talkies." She explained before whispering into the blue head, "Except they work like magic."

"Except they work like magic." The red head repeated mouth moving and all.

"They can even be used to communicate between the worlds. I invented them myself. Aren't they cute?" She asked a she kissed the blue head. "Anyway, it shouldn't be a problem because we'll back before midnight.

"We'll be back in an hour because I have a date." Marnie chirped. Outside, the two Cromwells and Nairbix were walking to the bus stop only to find it wasn't there.

"Wait, isn't this where the bus stop is supposed to be?" Marnie asked.

"Yes. Oh, Arnold must have forgotten to put the thing out again." Aggie said laughing, "I swear, that man would lose his head if his wife didn't put it into his lunch box."

"Well, I'll summon the bus." Marnie declared.

"Great." Aggie said as Marnie recited the spell.

"Gestoom exalious mundus nos te pelos un adukgo amun!" Nothing happened. "Didn't I say it right?" She asked.

"Try it again with a little more feeling into it." Nairbix suggested.

"Gestoom exalious mundus nos te pelos un adukgo amun!" Marnie repeated only to see nothing happen again.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to call up the portal ourselves." Aggie suggested. The three of them then formed a circle and placed their hands together as they closed their eyes and recited the summoning spell.

"From the mortal world depart we now on this the night All Hallows Eve. Back into Halloweentown. Through the portal we take our leave!" They said creating the portal. It was an old stone arch with a timer reading how long until midnight when it would close.

"Four hours till midnight." Marnie read.

"We'll be back in plenty of time." Aggie happily said eager to see her home. They quickly went through the portal and heard Aggie say how happy she was only to find the town and everyone in it boring and gray.

"What in the name of Narnia?" Nairbix mumbled.

"Where's the big jack-o-lantern?" Marnie asked. Where the massive pumpkin should have been was a large cube of white bricks on a pedestal. "Is this some kind of joke?" She asked.

"As goes the jack-o-lantern, so goes Halloweentown." Nairbix informed.

"Grandma, what's happened?" Marnie asked, "Everything's gray and boring."

"It's the spell, Marnie." Nairbix replied.

"A spell?" She asked, "You think someone put a spell on all of Halloweentown? How could they do that?!"

"I'm not sure." Aggie replied, "But this spell seems to be turning the creatures not only gray but once it progresses far enough, it turns them into humans."

"Come on, Grandma. Humans aren't this boring." Marnie defended.

"No." Nairbix agreed taking in the appearances of the people around them. "This is the character of what humans in Halloweentown are. Like how they imitate the creatures on Halloween."

"Well, who would cast a spell like this?" Marnie asked.

"I don't know, but someone is destroying my home." Aggie stressed.

"Okay, let's not get upset." Marnie advised, "Undoing spells isn't that hard, right? You just say it backwards."

"I remember something from my spell book. It was a spell…well, I haven't looked at it in years but it was similar to this." Aggie explained.

"Oh, yeah. I remember coming across that one too!" Nairbix exclaimed.

"Great, so maybe we can fix this with your spell book." Marnie suggested.

"We can try!" Aggie agreed, she then pulled out her headphone and tried to call Dylan.

"What do you want?" He asked through the head.

"I want you to go into my room and read a spell from my book for me." She informed.

"Grandma, I can't." He refused, having enough of him, Marnie grabbed the head and threatened him.

"Do it, Dylan. Or else, I'll spam your diary all over the internet."

"You don't know my password."

"Oh, yeah…iron buns?" She asked mockingly.

"Iron buns?" Aggie and Nairbix asked as they laughed.

"We're in." Dylan said a few moments later.

"Good, now find the spell book and read the spell to us." Nairbix ordered.

"It's not here." Dylan replied.

"What do you mean it's not there? It should be there on the desk." Marnie reminded.

"Well, it's not."

"It has to be."

"Maybe Grandma misplaced it." He suggested.

"Dylan, it's huge. How is she gonna misplace it?" Marnie asked.

"She misplaced the ogre." He reminded dryly.

"Stinky liked to play hide-n-seek." Sophie added.

"Someone must have stolen it." Nairbix realized.

"Did any of you go into my room since I came down to the party?" Aggie asked.

"Not me." Dylan replied.

"Not me." Sophie added.

"Didn't go anywhere but the den and kitchen." Nairbix answered, Marnie however stayed quiet for a moment.

"Um, well, I was. For a few minutes." She admitted.

"Was someone with you?" Nairbix asked.

"Just Kal. But he couldn't have taken it because I was with him the whole time." She defended.

"He must have been the one I felt coming. He stole it, Grandma." Sophie informed.

"It could have been somebody else!" Marnie exclaimed, "We've been gone for almost an hour."

"But only you, Grandma and Sophie know the spell to get into her room." Dylan reminded.

"Children, you seal my room. We're going to go back and have a word with Marnie's new friend." Aggie said glaring at her granddaughter as she and Nairbix walked back to the town square.

"He wouldn't steal anything, Grandma. He's really sweet." Marnie said dreamily.

"Perhaps, but for now, he's our only suspect." Nairbix reminded, the three of them then pressed their hands together again and prepared to open the portal.

"From Halloweentown depart we now on this the night All Hallows Eve. Back into the mortal world. Through the portal we take our leave."

But the portal was nowhere to be seen!

"Why won't it open?!" Nairbix shouted.

"It's just as I feared. Whoever cast this gray spell knew it would affect my suitcase and that we would come to investigate. It was a trap!" Aggie exclaimed.

"Very good, Aggie. You're keeping up nicely." A deep voice in the air said.

"Kal?" Marnie asked.

"Over here." He said. They all looked over to the cube and saw Kal's large face bulging out of it.

"Kal, you cast the spell on Halloweentown?" She asked in disbelief.

"Just the way it was written in Aggie's spell book. You naughty girl." He replied grinning.

"I knew it seemed familiar." She and Nairbix said together.

"But then you-you'd have to be a-"

"A warlock?" He asked finishing Marnie's question. "Sweet, huh?"

"So then that whole thing. It was just to get the book."

"No, I could have stolen the book any time. See, I wanted you to show it to me because you felt something between us. And you did."

"You tricked me." She realized.

"You'll get over it." Kal said harshly. "And hey, I still need a date to the costume party."

"Forget the party. I want to know why…" She carried only to think back. "…Kalabar." She muttered.

"What did you say, Marnie?" Nairbix asked.

"The rose. I should have known when he gave me the rose. Kal…you're Kalabar's son!" She realized surprising the others.

"I guess I inherited my father's attraction to Cromwell witches." He said smugly.

"So that's why you smell familiar. You have the same lying arrogant stench as your father." Nairbix said in shock.

"I didn't know Kalabar had a child." Aggie said surprised.

"He didn't want people to know." Kal said bitterly. "Dad and I didn't always agree but he was the only one who stood in the way of the Cromwells domination over Halloweentown."

"That's absurd." Aggie denied, "The Cromwells dominate no one."

"Then why did you let the mortals take charge of the earth? While we had to hide like rats in another dimension?" He asked raising his voice.

"Oh, the creatures all voted to create their own world so everyone could live in peace." Nairbix said kindly knowing it would set Kal off even more.

"And when my father tried to bring the creatures of Halloweentown back as rulers of the human race, you and the Cromwells brought everyone against him and then you destroyed him!" He shouted in furry.

"So that's what this is about, revenge." Marnie declared hitting the nail on the head.

"Just say the word and I'll open up the portal." Kal offered.

"Say what word?" She asked.

"Stop doing everything your mom tells you and I can show you things Aggie and Nairbix couldn't teach you in a million years."

Hearing this, the two seasoned magic users scoffed at the young warlock's arrogance.

"I'm not interested in your kind of magic. All you do is destroy." Marnie said coldly.

"Oh, the gray spell is just the first act, Marnie. The finale will come at midnight in the mortal world." Kal replied coolly.

"What finale, what are you planning?" Nairbix asked.

"Join me and find out." Kal offered.

"Hell no." He and Marnie answered.

"Well, you think about it and…catch you later." He said fading away into the bricks.

"Great taste in men you have there, Marnie." Nairbix teased.

"Oh, shut up, Nairbix. I'm sorry, Grandma. I really blew it." She said in shame.

"It's alright, dear. We all make mistakes. Don't worry about it. We'll show Kal the Cromwells and VanSull aren't so easily beaten." Aggie said with determination.

"How? We're trapped here and he has your spell book." Marnie reminded.

"Oh, well, Nairbix and I still have a few tricks up our sleeves. Nairbix, if you would?" Aggie asked. In reply, Nairbix gave a loud whistle that hailed the ever famous taxi cab of Bennie. When it pulled up, a scrawny gray man was behind the wheel.

"Bennie?" Marnie asked.

"Need a ride?" He asked sheepishly.

"Uh, guys I think its Bennie." She said unsure. Once the skinned covered Bennie drove them to Aggie's home, they found it as they feared, boring and gray. "I can't believe Kal did this with a spell out of your book! We'll never undo it!" Marie shouted.

"Oh, I'd agree with you, dear if there was only one copy of my spell book. But what he doesn't know is there are two." Aggie said giddily.

"Two?" Marnie and Nairbix asked.

"They're matched sets, two complete copies. I took the one I usually use to the mortal world with me and the other one is still here…someplace." She said.

"Well then, let's look for it." Marnie suggested. After they all tore the house apart, they found diddly squat!

"We can't find it." Aggie mumbled.

"Grandma, we can't just give up." Marnie argued.

"Aggie, the book has to be here or else…or else it's lost." Nairbix said grinning from ear to ear.

"Nairbix, why're you smiling? That's terrible!" Marnie said raising her voice.

"Is it?" He asked. "If it's lost, then I know exactly where to find it!" He cheered happily.

"…Come again?" Marnie asked.

"Oh, of course! Nairbix, you genius!" Aggie exclaimed, "Everything lost ends up at Gorg's house, he's the junkman of the universe!"

After they hitched another ride with Bennie, the trio found themselves at Gorg's house. "Where did all the junk go?" Nairbix asked seeing the clean yard.

"I guess Gorg cleaned up the place after the spell hit." Marnie suggested.

"Oh, but you still best prepare yourselves, my dears." Aggie warned, "Spell or no spell, Gorg is still the foulest, meanest, smelliest inhabitant in all of Halloweentown." She then knocked on the door and they all met a peculiar sight. It was a gray well dressed and clean man.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Hello, Gorg." Aggie greeted, "You're looking…clean!" She said not believing the state of her neighbor.

"Do you need something? I'm busy, you see sorting my socks." He said.

"Um, yes, Mr. Gorg." Marnie addressed, "We're looking for a book you might have, could we see if you still have it?" She asked.

"Oh, I see. Well, come right in. I have several books." Gorg said with boring kindness. He showed them in and showed them the shelves that held his books only to find that they were all about cleaning.

"I don't think the people who lost these are missing them much." Nairbix said dryly.

"Gorg, these can't be all the books you've got." Aggie denied.

From across the room, Gorg was now trying to sort out his many socks even though none of them would match. "Well, I, um sold the rest. In the yard sale." He informed.

"Yard sale?" Marnie asked with dread as Nairbix banged his head with one of the books.

"Oh, yes. This place was very messy. I only kept the useful books." Gorg replied while sorting the socks. "I'll sell these socks too as soon as I can match them up."

"Gorg." Aggie addressed as they all walked over to him, "There was a particular book. An extra copy of my spell book. Do you remember who you sold it to?"

For a moment, Gorg looked like he had an answer which caused them all to lean in. But he then asked, "Do you think these two match? Oh, I suppose not."

"Oh, we've hit another dead end! That book could be anywhere!" Nairbix wailed.

"Okay, I say we head back to the mortal world." Marnie suggested as she headed for the door. As she did this, Aggie's hands began to turn gray.

"The spell, it's back!" Nairbix exclaimed.

"Grandma, wh-what's happening?" Marnie asked.

"It's the gray spell. It's affecting me now that we're in Halloweentown." She explained. "It's probably going to go after you too, dears."

"We've got to get out of here." Nairbix said before rushing to the door. "It's locked. Not for long." He said as he summoned his Keyblade. He then pointed it towards the door knob and with a beam of dark light, he tried to unlock it only to find nothing had happened. "That's impossible." He said.

"Nothing's impossible, Nairbix." Kal teased. Like before, he was using his magic to show only his head but this time in the fire pit. "Looks like even the True Keyblade Master's power is weak compared to mine."

"A likely story." Nairbix replied before taking a closer look at the door. Upon closer look, he found the actual keyhole missing. "Aha, weak nothing. You simply did as you have been doing, you altered things to your benefit and passed them off as your own skill. You simply used your magic to remove the door's keyhole. Using magic like that is simply pathetic since you can't even use a spell of your own."

"You better watch what you say, Nairbix." Kal warned.

"Pathetic like your father. A warlock with years of experience destroyed by a child who hadn't even begun her training and her two even less magical siblings who did nothing but hum." He mocked.

"Grandma, was right. You've been spying on us this whole time." Marnie growled.

"Oh, I didn't need to. You see, I already knew about Aggie's little spell book. That's why I knew you'd end up at Gorg's."

"How could you?" Aggie asked her voice clearly showing her strength was failing her. "I lost that book before you were born." But Kal ignored her.

"So, Marnie. Have you thought anymore about going to the party? Everyone's gonna be there…including your mom." Kal informed.

"Pft, my mom hates Halloween." Marnie scoffed.

"Well, I managed to get a little costume sent to her which made her want to go. You should see the mask, heh, it's a scream." He said tauntingly.

"This is not the way to talk me into a date."

"This is more than a date. It's our future together." Kal corrected trying to sound sincere.

"I'm in control of my own future. And it doesn't include you." And with that, Kal's head vanished.

"Creature spell!" Nairbix gasped realizing what Kal had in store.

"What?" Marnie asked.

"There's a spell in my book." Aggie explained as she sorted socks with Gorg. "It's a spell that was banned after the dark times. It was used on the humans who mocked us by dressing up like creatures. It was used on them to turn them into the very creatures they were mocking." Aggie said bitterly.

"He turned the creatures into humans and now he's going to turn the humans into creatures." Nairbix added.

"That's why Kal put your mother in a mask." Aggie realized, "I think he plans to use the creature spell on the mortal world at midnight!"

"Okay, he's keeping us in here with a spell. So maybe we can come up with our own spell to get us out of here." Marnie suggested. "Wait, Nairbix, why don't you try making one of your corridor things?"

"It's a long shot, but I'll try." He then raised his hand and successfully created a corridor. He then walked through it only to come out of one near the ceiling and fall flat on his face. "Ow, okay that didn't work. I know, I'll blast our way out!"

Nairbix then summoned his Keyblade and sent a blast of dark energy from the tip at the wall. "Outside!" He cried. But as soon as it made contact, it vanished.

"…Where'd it go?" Marnie asked nervously just before the blast appeared and bounced around the room.

"…And with that, I'm out of ideas." Nairbix said in defeat.

"And our powers are draining, Marnie. We're trapped." Aggie said weakly.

"But, Grandma, saying a spell backwards can't be the only way out of a spell!" Marnie stressed.

"Oh, rules are rules." Aggie replied still sorting the socks.

"But rules-rules have exceptions. Maybe, we can find the back door to this spell." She suggested.

"Back door? You mean like a loophole?" Nairbix asked.

"Exactly. If we can find a loophole in Kal's spell, we can get out."

"Like time-travel." Nairbix suggested.

"Right. You have a time-travel spell, right?" She asked.

"Yeah, but I think you ought to do it. Kal's clearly obsessed with you and in case he tries anything, it'd be better if you were in control. Here, let me write it down." He said pulling a pen and paper out of air. "That should be it." He said handing Marnie the paper.

"Gorg." Aggie began now completely gray, "There are no matching socks here."

"Yes, well, uh, I have some more in the cupboard." He replied.

"Well, go get them!" She said happily.

"Grandma?" Marnie asked only to be shooed by her grandmother.

"Go away, we're busy."

"And she's gone." Nairbix carried dryly, "I think we ought to find some other time to be, agreed?"

"Agreed." Marnie replied before reading the spell, "Pa are thee rin a thou anad hethu aquin as ne shasnatha!" In a quick flash of light, the duo found themselves looking back at themselves five minutes ago when Aggie began to turn gray.

"This is only five minutes ago." Nairbix said matter-of-factly.

"Must not have said it right." Marnie deduced before trying again, "Pa are thee rin a thou anad hethu aquin as ne shasnatha!"

This time, they found themselves in what could be called a prehistoric Halloweentown. It could be called that considering a Neanderthal by a campfire was next to them.

"Too far!" They shouted. Marnie then said the spell again and the next thing they both knew, they were back in Gorg's house only to see the missing junk everywhere.

"You know, I think I liked this place better when it was gray." Nairbix mentioned bluntly.

"Where's Gorg? And it's almost eleven-o-clock in the mortal world! We've got to find him!" Marnie stressed, just then, the door slammed shut and an angry colored Gorg roared in. From the smell that filled their nostrils, they knew it was him.

"Ugh, I think we found him." Nairbix said in disgust.

"What are you doing in my house?!" He asked from the staircase.

"Um, well, it's okay, Aggie sent us." Marnie explained.

"Well, that doesn't make you welcome here. I hate Aggie!" Gorg snarled as he went down the stairs.

"Don't feel bad, he hates everyone." Nairbix whispered. "Well, Aggie has the utmost respect for you." He said hoping to get on the creature's good side (if he had one).

"She does?" He asked.

"Yeah!" Marnie chirped, "She said, that you were the smelliest, foulest, meanest inhabitant in all of Halloweentown." She said telling what she heard earlier.

"She said that?" Gorg asked again. "Pah, she's just trying to butter me up!" He growled.

"No, no, no. She meant it." Marnie reassured, "Really."

"Oh, well, that's very sweet of her!" He said with sarcasm, "And I hate it when people are sweet! Now get out! I have messing up to do."

"No, but there's something that we need." Marnie added, Gorg's reaction wasn't too pleasant.

"Oh, well in that case, take a number! Right now I'm serving, NOBODY!" He shouted.

"But-"

"Little girl." He warned, "You stink like a Cromwell and I want you out of my cottage!" Gorg shouted yet again.

"Okay, okay." She squeaked.

"Well, um it was nice seeing your place while it was still messy." Nairbix said hoping Gorg would take the bait. Thankfully, he did.

"Wait, what do you mean 'still' messy?" He asked.

"There's this thing called the gray spell, you see. And in a few years, Kalabar's son is gonna make your whole house neat." Marnie explained.

"Oh, and you'll have sold all of your things that didn't have anything to do with cleaning in a low profit yard sale." Nairbix threw in.

"WHAT?!" Gorg screamed at the top of his lungs. Needless to say, this was enough motivation for Gorg to help the duo dig through his things in order to find the book.

"It's got to be around here somewhere!" Marnie exclaimed as she dug through a pile.

"I can't let this happen!" Gorg said in frustration, "My beautiful dirt cleaned?! My wonderful junk sold in a yard sale?!"

"A very low profit yard sale." Nairbix corrected as he dug through his area. "Don't you have some sort of filing system?" He asked.

"Of course I do!" Gorg shouted, "I keep all my scabs under the porch!"

"Ew!" Marnie groaned. "I don't think the spell book is here. We've looked everywhere."

"Maybe, we came too far back in time. Maybe Aggie hasn't even lost it at this point yet." Nairbix suggested.

"Grandma said she hasn't seen that copy in decades. We couldn't have come back that far." Marnie argued.

"Hey." Gorg alerted, "Is this book you're looking for leather?" He asked.

"Yes." Marnie replied.

"With some sort of fancy writing on the front?"

"Biblico Magica, yeah!" Nairbix said happily.

"I remember it!" Gorg shouted.

"That's really good!" Marnie cheered.

"Kalabar bought it from me fifty years ago!" Gorg finished dropping everyone's hopes.

"That's really bad." Nairbix deadpanned. "Kalabar must have been working on this domination plot for decades."

"Well, that means Kal already had the spell book with the gray spell in it!" Marnie gasped. "The only reason he took the other one from our house-"

"Was to stop us from undoing the spell. Argh, I just want to kill that little bastard!"

"I can't believe it! We came all this way for nothing!" Marnie shouted.

"Wait a minute!" Nairbix shouted startling his friend.

"What?"

"I remember the gray spell's name from the book!" He shouted.

"What how?!" Marnie asked.

"I was just thinking how we were trapped in this spell. Then it hit me, Trapa!"

"Trapa? That's the spell's name?" She asked.

"Even better. It's the spell's name backwards! Gorg!"

"What?!" He snarled.

"Apart!" Nairbix shouted at him. Gorg then turned back into his gray alter-ego.

"Oh, my." He said looking around him, "Oh, my. This place is very, very messy." He said gently.

"Oh! Let me try! Let me try!" Marnie begged happily. "Trapa!" She said which turned Gorg back!

"Oh, that was awful!" He whined, "I wanted to…clean!"

"Do it again! Do it again." Nairbix ushered.

"Apart!"

"Oh, my. Oh, my. Does anyone have a dustpan, perhaps?" He asked kindly.

"Trapa!" Nairbix said pointing at the gray now colored Gorg.

"Oh, will you stop doing that?!" He pleaded.

"Nairbix, you were right! We figured out how to fix the gray spell!"

"How much time do we have left?" Nairbix asked.

"Fifteen minutes." She replied with dread before realization hit her. "Oh, no, Mom doesn't know about the creature spell. She's still wearing her mask!"

"We have to get back to the present so we can warn her." Nairbix advised.

"Right…where's the time-travel spell?" She asked.

"What do you mean? You had it." He reminded.

"Right, and I put it over there on the table when I had to dig through the garbage."

"Oh." Gorg groaned, "You shouldn't have done that."

"Why not?" Marnie asked nervously, "What happened to it?"

"It's lost." Gorg replied.

"Well, that's okay right? Everything that gets lost ends up here, right?" She asked.

"Everything that gets lost other places." Gorg corrected bluntly, "Anything lost here goes poof."

"Poof?!" Nairbix asked not believing his ears.

"Poof. Gone forever." Gorg informed.

"Poof. Please tell me you remember the spell, Nairbix?" Marnie asked.

"Won't do you any good asking him that." Gorg said gruffly, "Anything that gets lost here and someone knows about it forgets what it was."

"Did you forget anything else?!" She asked. Nairbix looked through his mind as his eyes darted back and forth like he was speed-reading a book.

"Ironically, no." He said with panic in his voice. "Can you remember it?!"

"Um…let me try." She replied a little unsure. "Pa uber theodorno ana heado." At first there was only a flash of light, but a growl was quickly followed.

Gorg was now the angry owner of a curly blonde perm instead of his greasy brown curls.

"No, that's not it." Marnie said sheepishly. After multiple attempts that proved to be useless and wrong, Marnie finally gave up. "I can't remember the spell!"

"This is stupid!" Gorg huffed, "Why don't we just use my timeline?" He suggested.

"You had timeline this entire time?!" Nairbix shouted in annoyance. "Why didn't you mention it earlier, you idiot?!" He screamed.

"I just thought about it." Gorg replied too annoyed to shout back. "Come on, I keep it in the closet." He went over and opened it to revel a grid-like dimension with multiple years passing by in the form of numbers.

"Wow, how does it work?" Marnie asked.

"The timeline shows us the years in the mortal world. The past is one direction, the future another. Just follow the fastest moving timeline. Now get out of here!" He exclaimed/pleaded.

"Great." Marnie said as she pulled out what looked to be a small pen. With a flick of her magic, Marnie turned the pen into a full size metal broom. "It's my new and improved broom. Grandma gave it to me. Come on, hope on." She ushered.

"No thanks." Nairbix refused.

"Why not, afraid of flying?" She teased.

"No. I'm just not that comfortable with a form of transportation being something that can cause pain to my nuts." He said bluntly.

"Aw, would you rather stay here?" She mocked. In reply, he said nothing as he hopped on. "Good boy." She teased, "Thanks, Gorg. We are out of here!" She cheered as they dashed into the timeline.

Once they found the right time, they followed it and burst from the pile of socks present gray Gorg and Aggie were sorting.

"Aggie!" Nairbix shouted, "Trapa!" And with that, his teacher was once again colored.

"Come on, the portal!" Marnie urged. The three of them pressed their hands together and recited the spell once again.

"From Halloweentown depart we now on this the night All Hallows Eve. Back into the mortal world. Through the portal we take our leave!" The portal then appeared reading only a few seconds until it would close. On the other side, Dylan and Sophie were trying to pull off Gwen's mask as it began to close.

"No! Mom!" Marnie yelled as she tried to pry the doors open. Seeing this, Nairbix helped his friend and actually managed to stall the doors. As they did this, they could see the creature spell cast and turn all of the humans into creatures and hear Kal's evil laughter.

The strain of the doors closing became too much for Marnie so she stepped back, but Nairbix didn't. No, he stayed and put everything he had into keeping that portal open, and he was proving that he could.

"It can't be." Kal denied now wearing a long black cape. "He's opening the portal with his bare hands!? What is he?!" He asked in shock, anger and fear.

With a loud outcry, Nairbix pushed the doors completely open surprising all the humans and creatures. He then walked through with Aggie and Marnie following behind.

"I'm Nairbix VanSull, you little bastard." He spat as his eyes blazed.

"I don't care how strong you think you are! But you could never beat me!" Kal shouted as he and Marnie stared each other down.

"Your only power was the power to keep us apart, Kal. And now, you don't have that power anymore." Marnie said triumphantly as Kal hyperventilated in anger. "We don't have to hate each other. Just give me back Aggie's spell books."

"Dad was right." He said madly, "You're the enemy and you always will be!"

"You told me you make your own decisions. Don't let your father's hate decide for you know!" She pleaded.

"Go ahead!" He replied as he held each book in his hand. He then used his magic to cover them with black electric wires. "Take the books! I'd like to watch! Is good stronger than evil?! Let's find out!"

"I'm not afraid of you!" Marnie declared, "I may feel sorry for you. But I am not afraid of you." She then covered herself with a glow of magic and carefully took the books.

Kal then yelled in anger and protest and vanished in a swarm of his magic and wires. "He'll be back." Nairbix sated as his crossed his arm.

"And we'll be waiting. Together." Marnie declared bravely. After Aggie turned everyone back into humans, they all left to undo the gray spell in Halloweentown. With everyone happy and full of color, it was time for the sad goodbye.

"Looks like we have to do this again, huh?" Nairbix asked sadly.

"Let me guess. We'll most likely never see each other again?" Marnie teased even though tears were forming in her eyes.

"Possibly. But I hope that's not the case." He said warmly as he and Marnie hugged. "Happy Halloween." He said to the Cromwells as he left via corridor.

Once he was back in his kitchen, he found that his toffee was finally finished and pulled it out of the oven and enjoyed his well-earned treat. Unfortunately, he found it to be burnt to a crisp. "No! Why?!" Nairbix cried.

 **Now, I'm guessing some of you are wondering why I replaced Nairbix with Luke. The reason, since I excluded him from his original ending in the first movie earlier, I didn't see how having him in this chapter would work. Besides, it would have made Nairbix look like a useless background character. And no, I will not make Marnie have a crush on Nairbix or vice versa, they're just good friends and I'm not going to use the remaining Halloweentown movies. Sorry. In the next chapter, we will return to a galaxy far, far away.**


	16. Attack of The Clones

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or anything Disney or Star Wars. There will be another an at the end for more details. Enjoy!**

Eleven months passed after Nairbix and Marnie had prevented Kal's psychotic scheme. He did as he normally did, spent time with his brothers, visited his mother and Diaval and hung out with Natasha when he wasn't waiting for information regarding the inquisition.

Currently, he was walking with Natasha enjoying a quiet little stroll through her rose garden holding hands with Wall-E at their side. Although, they were doing this as friends much to Nairbix's disappointment. However, this pleasant walk soon came to an end once Natasha began to tell her friend something very important.

"Nairbix?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"There's something I need to tell you. It's about something I saw last night in my dreams."

"What is it?" He asked as they stopped walking.

"I had a vision. Trouble is coming to the other galaxy. I think it's time for us to go back, like we promised." She informed.

"You sure?" Nairbix asked while Natasha nodded. "Okay. If you think that we should, then I trust your judgment. But why now? It's been what, nine years since we left?"

"Ten, actually." She corrected. "From what my vision had shown, we may be facing a war once we're there."

"A war? If that's the case, then maybe we should go. We did promise them that we would come back if need be. Have you already told Ansem and Rebecca about this?" He asked.

"I did. They're concerned for me and Lea is conflicted about the whole thing, but they're letting me go anyway." Natasha replied.

"Lea's conflicted, how?" Nairbix asked.

"Because he thinks that it's cool of me to go and fight as a Jedi, but he's worried that I might not come back."

"As long as I'm with you," He said as he grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes, "I will make sure that we come back." After she heard this, Natasha's eyes softened just before she pulled the True Master into a hug.

"I know. And I'm gonna do the same for you." She said softly. "Can you make a corridor for us?"

"Sure thing. I'm guessing Coruscant, right?"

"The Jedi temple, if you please." Natasha teased as the dark void appeared next to them. Once the darkness cleared, the two friends and droid found themselves back to the place that they had left as children. Though technically, they were in the empty council room.

"I couldn't really remember anywhere else in the temple, so I just brought us here." Nairbix clarified.

"I guess this works just as fine." Natasha shrugged. "Hopefully, we'll be able to find Master Yoda or Obi-Wan somewhere around here." She said as they left the room.

"Any ideas?" Nairbix asked.

"Hmm, well, there is the meditation room. From what I can remember from the experience that Qui-Gon gave me, when Yoda's not in the council room, he's either in there or teaching younglings."

"Or closer he may be, heheh." A familiar voice said from behind. They turned and saw Yoda sitting on a small hovering device and smiling at the duo.

"Master Yoda." Natasha said before rushing up to hug the old Jedi. At first he was shocked, but he quickly recovered and warmly patted her back. "It's so good to see you again, Master." She said with a bow.

"You as well, Master Romanoff, yes." He replied showing that he remembered his promise.

"Thank you, but are you sure that you still want me to be a master and on the council?"

"Much strength and wisdom I sense in you, trust you I do. Acknowledge you as a worthy master, the council does." Yoda replied still smiling.

"Thank you, Master." Natasha said with another bow.

"Pardon me, Master Yoda." Nairbix alerted.

"Oh, hello, Nairbix. Oh!" Yoda said as he finally began to sense his power. "Much great power I sense in you. Far beyond that of when we first met it is."

"Yes, I have become what's known as a True Master of the Keyblade. Including myself, only three have ever become one in the history of the Keyblade. Anyway, is Obi-Wan Kenobi or Anakin Skywalker here by any chance?"

"Anxious to see old friends, are we?" Yoda teased. "Master Kenobi and his Padawan are indeed here in the temple. Arrived from a mission they just did. See them you two can. In the archives they are."

"Thank you, Master." The friends said before leaving. Sure enough as Yoda said, the two Jedi were in the Holocron archives. Obi-Wan had grown a little since they last saw him. He still wore the standard white Jedi robes beneath his long brown cloak but had grown out his hair to where it was combed back to his neck and had even grown a beard.

Anakin certainly changed the most over the years. He was tall and bore the long braid that marked that he was still a Padawan. Instead of wearing white robes, he wore dark blue leather robes and matching pants.

"You mustn't act you brash, Anakin." Obi-Wan gently scolded, apparently, something didn't go so well for them on their previous mission.

"Yes, Master." Anakin replied shamefully but annoyed. Obviously, he had heard this many times before.

"I must say, you two have certainly changed in the past nine years." Natasha announced smirking.

"Natasha, Nairbix!" Obi-Wan exclaimed before he went to hug his old friends with Anakin behind him. "Looks like you two have done the same. Hello, Wall-E." He added as the little droid waved his claw. Anakin then looked over his redheaded friend before he began to speak.

"So have you come to be a Jedi too, Natasha?" He asked.

"What?" She asked.

"Well, I mean you have a lightsaber and you're wearing the robes, so I just thought you were here to be a Padawan like me." He replied.

"Obi-Wan," Nairbix began, "Did you not tell him?"

"Tell me what?"

"Anakin, I'm not here as a Padawan. I'm here as a master and a member of the council." Natasha replied.

"Wait, what?" Anakin asked thinking it was a joke. No one was laughing. "That can't be." He denied. "How can you become a master and be a member on the council when you haven't even gone through training like everyone else?" He asked with his temper rising.

"Anakin." Obi-Wan said gently. "While Qui-Gon and I were fighting Darth Maul, Natasha helped us. And when he was struck down, he transferred all of his knowledge and experience of the Force to Natasha. If it hadn't been for that and her help, I'm sure I would have been killed as well. Because of this, the council declared that when she and Nairbix returned, Natasha would become a master and member."

"Basically, she was as strong as Qui-Gon was when she was ten." Nairbix added. "She's probably as strong as Yoda now that she's had more training and experience."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves now, Nairbix." Natasha said. "I wouldn't say that I'm that strong."

"That's for sure." Anakin grumbled earning everyone's attention.

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I'm just saying, I've been a Jedi as long as she has, and I've even had to go through actual training." He said hotly.

"That's enough, Anakin." Obi-Wan snapped. "You obviously haven't cooled down yet, so I want you to go and meditate for a while, understand?"

"…Yes, Master." He growled before storming off.

"Sorry about that." Obi-Wan said sheepishly.

"What was that about?" Nairbix asked bluntly.

"Sigh, over the years, Anakin has grown a bit of a temper. He's also become arrogant with his abilities lately and sees himself the most powerful Jedi in the order." Obi-Wan replied.

"Really?" Natasha asked.

"Unfortunately. Nothing anyone says to him seems to get through his head and at often times, he's nearly gotten himself and others killed because of it."

"Sounds to me like he needs to be taught a lesson instead of being lectured." Nairbix said dryly. "It also sounds like he expects being a Jedi means what it meant to him when we found him on Tatooine."

"I agree." Natasha added. "It seems he expects it to be the life of a hero and an adventurer instead of a peacekeeper. Anyway, what's Padme been up to lately?" She asked changing the subject.

"Not sure. We haven't come across her since we settled the dispute with the Trade Federation on Naboo. All I do know is that she's no longer the queen and has recently taken Chancellor Palpatine's old position as Naboo's senator." He replied as they began to walk around the temple.

"An issues with them, still?" Nairbix asked as the Jedi sighed.

"Yes, they've now become a rebelling party against the Republic and are now calling themselves the Separatists."

"Why not just take care of Gunray and be done with it?" Nairbix asked.

"Because he's not the Separatists' leader." Obi-Wan replied. "A former Jedi master named Count Dooku is leading the Separatists, and we do know that the Sith who trained Darth Maul has something to do with it as well."

"So you've concluded that Maul was the apprentice and not the master?" Natasha asked.

"I honestly doubt that you and I were capable of defeating a Sith Lord Master that easily, Natasha. And I also doubt that a master would become so involved with actually confronting simply two Jedi." Obi-Wan replied.

"I agree, we didn't think that Maul was the one pulling the strings either. Just a wild dog let off his leash." She said in nostalgia.

Later that day, Master Windu called Natasha, Nairbix, Obi-Wan, and Anakin to the debriefing room along with R2-D2 and Wall-E.

"It has come to the attention of the Naboo, that former queen Senator Padme Amidala has become a target for the Separatists. In order to secure her safety, the Naboo have requested that she should be under the protection of the Jedi until things are sorted. The Supreme Chancellor has requested that you and your Padawan watch over her, Master Kenobi since you two are the only Jedi she is familiar with."

"Understood, Master." Obi-Wan bowed.

"Not to sound rude, Master Windu." Nairbix said raising his hand. "But what does that have to do with Natasha and myself?"

"Considering that you two were as involved with her protection as Qui-Gon Jinn was, we think that it would be better if there were more people that the Senator was comfortable with protecting her." Windu replied. "The Senator will be arriving to Coruscant shortly, once she does arrive, the four of you will have her under constant protection, understood?"

"Yes, Master." The three Jedi replied while Nairbix nodded his head. After Padme arrived and survived a surprise bombing on her ship, the party made their way to her apartment in the upper levels of the city. While they were in the elevator, Anakin (now cooled down) was fixing his appearance to look presentable.

"You seem a little on edge." Obi-Wan observed.

"Not at all." Anakin denied.

"I haven't felt you this tense since we fell into that nest of gundarks." Obi-Wan recalled as Anakin scoffed.

"You fell into that nightmare, Master and I rescued you remember?" He asked.

"Oh…yes." He admitted before laughing at the memory.

"You're sweating, Anakin." Nairbix pointed out. "Relax. Take a deep breath."

"I haven't seen here in almost ten years, Nairbix." He defended. As they finally reached the top floor and the doors opened, they all saw the well-dressed and familiar face of Jar Jar Binks.

"Obi?" He asked, "Obi!" He shouted realizing it was his old friend. "Nairbix, Natasha, Ani, and Wall-E! Mesa so smilen to seein yousa!" He shouted happily.

"Good to see you again, Jar Jar." Obi-Wan replied while Nairbix and Natasha took turns hugging their Gungan friend.

"Senator Padme." Jar Jar alerted as he led them into the other room. "Mesa palos here! Lookie, lookie, Senator. Desa Jedi arriven."

"Jedi and True Keyblade Master." Nairbix playfully corrected as Padme walked over to them.

"It's a great pleasure to see you again, milady." Obi-Wan said as he shook her hand.

"Same goes for us." Natasha added.

"It has been far too long, Master Kenobi. Natasha, Nairbix." Padme giggled.

"That's Master Romanoff and True Master VanSull, to you." Nairbix teased while Natasha punched his shoulder. Padme once again laughed before she noticed Anakin.

"Ani?" She asked in surprise. "My goodness, you've grown."

"So have you. Grown more beautiful, I mean." He complemented before trying to save face. "Well, f-for a senator, I mean."

"Ani, you'll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine." She said smiling at her friend.

"Oh, shot down!" Nairbix thought as they all sat down.

"Our presence here will be invisible, milady, I can assure you." Obi-Wan provided before Padme's guard addressed himself.

"I'm Captain Typho of Her Majesty's security service. Queen Jamillia has been informed of your assignment. I am grateful you are here, Masters Kenobi, Romanoff and VanSull. The situation is more dangerous than the senator will admit."

"Same old Padme. Causing trouble and dragging us along with her." Nairbix joked while Padme glared at him before speaking.

"I don't need more security. I need answers. I want to know who's trying to kill me."

"We are here to protect you, Senator, not to start and investigation." Obi-Wan reminded.

"We will find out who's trying to kill you, Padme. I promise you." Anakin informed.

"We will not exceed our mandate, my young Padawan learner." Obi-Wan scolded.

"I meant that in the interest of protecting her, Master." Anakin retorted.

"We will not go through this exercise again, Anakin and you will pay attention to my lead."

"Why?" Anakin asked causing Obi-Wan to grow even more stressed with his student.

"What?" He snapped.

"Why else do you think we were assigned to her if not to find the killer? Protection is a job for local security, not Jedi. It's overkill, Master. Investigation is implied in our mandate."

"So, you think that protecting her and doing as you're told is beneath you?" Nairbix asked.

"What?"

"You're clearly unhappy with just standing watch quietly, so you want to do things that seem more interesting to you." Nairbix explained.

"We will do exactly as the council instructed. And you will learn your place, young one." Natasha hissed ending the debate.

"Perhaps with merely your presence the mystery surrounding this threat will be revealed." Padme said hoping to end the awkward conversation. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I will retire."

"I know I'll feel better having you here." Typho informed. "I'll have an officer stationed on every floor, and I'll be in the control center downstairs."

"Mesa busten wit happiness seein yousa again, palos." Jar Jar said to the others.

"She hardly even recognized me, Jar Jar." Anakin said with disappointment. "I've thought about her every day since we parted, and she's forgotten me completely."

"Anakin, you were a little kid back then." Nairbix reminded as he ruffled the Padawan's hair. "Of course she'd have a hard time recognizing you, all bulked up and nearly an adult."

"Uh-huh, shesa happy." Jar Jar added, "Happier den mesa seein her in a longo time."

"You're focusing on the negative, Anakin. Be mindful of your thoughts." Natasha reminded before smirking. "She was pleased to see us. Come on, let's go check the security." Later, as night fell, the party continued to be on guard for anyone who might want to kill Padme.

"Captain Typho has more than enough men downstairs." Obi-Wan announced as he entered the living room where everyone else was. "No assassin would try that way."

"Has there been any activity up here?" Natasha asked Anakin.

"Quiet as a tomb." He replied, "I don't like just waiting here for something to happen to her." He said while Obi-Wan tried to view Padme's bedroom via hologram only to see nothing.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"She covered the cameras. I don't think she liked the thought of me watching her." Anakin replied. "Which is odd considering that I told her Natasha would be in charge of that."

"What is she thinking?" Obi-Wan asked becoming annoyed.

"Don't worry, Obi-Wan." Nairbix reassured, "She programed R2 to warn us if there's an intruder and we've got Wall-E in there to give him back up."

"There are many other ways to kill a senator." Obi-Wan reminded.

"I know, but we also want to catch this assassin, don't we, Master?" Anakin asked, hearing this, Obi-Wan caught on.

"You're using her as bait." He stated as he walked closer to his Padawan.

"It was her idea." Natasha defended, "Don't worry. No harm will come to her. We can sense everything going on in that room, trust us."

"It's too risky." Obi-Wan argued. "Besides, your senses aren't that attuned, my friends."

"And yours are?" Nairbix asked as a grin grew on his face while Obi-Wan did the same.

"Possibly." He playfully retorted. While they were talking, Anakin walked over to the balcony to get some fresh air.

"You alright, Anakin? You look tired." Natasha observed.

"I don't sleep well anymore." He replied.

"Because of your mother?" She asked.

"How did you know?" He asked.

"No offense, Anakin, but you're kind of an open book." She replied with a friendly smile.

"I don't know why I keep dreaming about her."

"Dreams pass in time." Obi-Wan said as he walked over to them.

"I'd much rather dream about Padme. Just being around her again is…intoxicating."

"Be mindful of your thoughts, Anakin. They betray you." Obi-Wan stressed, "You've made a commitment to the Jedi order, a commitment not easily broken. And don't forget, she's a politician, and they're not to be trusted."

"Yeah, the same can be said for royalty." Nairbix joked while Natasha crushed his foot without batting an eyelash.

"She's not like the others in the Senate, Master." Anakin argued.

"It is my experience that senators focus only on pleasing those who fund their campaigns and they're in no means scared of forgetting the niceties of democracy in order to get those funds." Obi-Wan stressed.

"Not another lecture." Anakin pleaded, "At least not on the economics of politics."

While this discussion was going on, a drone outside Padme's bedroom was dropping off two little surprises for the senator. The surprises were actually two long, pale and poisonous insects sent to kill her. As they were creeping closer to her, R2 and Wall-E briefly noticed that something was wrong, but when they scanned to look for intruders, they found nothing and returned to sleep mode.

Back outside, the debate over politicians continued. "Besides, you're generalizing." Anakin accused, "The chancellor doesn't appear to be corrupt."

"Palpatine is a politician." Natasha reminded.

"And I have observed that is very clever in following the passions and the prejudices of the senators." Obi-Wan added. As they were talking, Nairbix rose from the couch as he smelled the foul intent in the air just before the Jedi could sense it. They all rushed in and saw the insects closing in on Padme's neck while she slept. Before they could finish the job, Anakin leapt over and sliced the two bugs with his blue lightsaber while waking the senator.

Noticing the drone, Obi-Wan broke through the window and grabbed onto it as it took off. Seeing it as well, Nairbix also jumped through and used his powers as a True Master to fly behind Obi-Wan while Natasha and Anakin rushed outside to find a speeder.

Anakin was able to find and hotwire a yellow one in the parking lot below and rushed off as Natasha jumped into the other seat. "What is it with you and yellow?" She asked noticing the color.

"What is it with you and red?" He asked without looking at her. Back with Obi-Wan, Nairbix flew next to him and leaned back with his arms folded before speaking.

"Nice night for flying, huh, Obi-Wan?" He teased.

"Oh, do shut up." The Jedi groaned just before the drone was shot down and he began to fall. Nairbix then looked where the blast came from and saw a lone sniper making his escape in a green speeder. While Obi-Wan was falling and expecting death, Anakin brought the speeder below him and caught him in mid-freefall.

"What took you so long?" Obi-Wan asked clearly still shaken up.

"Oh, you know, Master. I couldn't find a speeder that I really liked." Anakin joked.

"There he is." Obi-Wan said pointing, "Just follow Nairbix."

"Should I catch him too?" Anakin asked.

"Don't bother, he's flying not falling." Natasha waved off. They continued to follow the assassin even when they were nosediving straight down much to Obi-Wan's disliking.

"Pull up, Anakin." He pleaded as both his friend and Padawan laughed while a large hovercraft came out in front of them. "Pull up!" He shouted again. Obeying his master's order, Anakin pulled up just before they crashed. "You know I don't like it when you do that."

"Sorry, Master." Anakin said still laughing. "I forgot you don't like flying."

"I don't mind flying, but what you're doing is suicide." He retorted as they barely dodged more speeders. As the assassin led them down to the power center, he shot the defense grid causing it to activate just before its purple lightning got Nairbix.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan shouted, "How many times have I told you-Ah!-Stay away from power couplings!" He shouted as they went through the stinging energy.

"That was good." Natasha remarked. Once they were back in the city district, the assassin and Nairbix flew through a building tunnel while Anakin continued to go straight. "What are you doing?" Natasha asked, "They went that way."

"Master, if we keep this chase going any longer, that creep is gonna end up deep-fried and, personally, I'd very much like to find out who he is and who he's working for. This is a short cut, I think." He explained. As they continued flying, both Nairbix and the assassin were nowhere to be found.

"Great, now we've lost them." Obi-Wan huffed as they stopped.

"I'm deeply sorry, Master." Anakin admitted.

"That was some shortcut, Anakin." Obi-Wan ranted, "Once again you've proved-"

If you'll excuse me." Anakin said as he jumped off the speeder.

"I hate it when he does that." Obi-Wan growled while Natasha patted his back. Thankfully, Anakin was able to grab the speeder they were looking for, but due to his recklessness, he used his lightsaber to cause the assassin to crash after it fell out of his hands and into Natasha's from behind.

Once they were on the sidewalk, the assassin began to run through the crowds with Nairbix and Anakin at her heels with Obi-Wan and Natasha not far behind. Following their target to a club, Anakin and Nairbix were stopped by the others just before going in.

"Anakin!" Obi Wan shouted as they all met up.

"She went into the club, Master." Anakin explained while catching his breath.

"Patience. Use the Force. Think." Natasha reminded. "He went in there to hid, not to run."

"Yes, Master." Obi-Wan then held his Padawan's lightsaber and gave it back to Anakin.

"Next time, try not to lose it." He urged.

"Yes, Master."

"This weapon is your life." He added as they all entered. "Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me?" He asked.

"Don't say that, Master. You're the closest thing I have to a father." Anakin replied.

"Then why don't you listen to me?"

"I am trying." As they looked around the club, all they saw were customers chatting and drinking as the sounds music and videos filled the air.

"Anyone see him?" Nairbix asked.

"I think he is a she, and I think she is a changeling." Anakin informed.

"In that case, we must be extra careful." Natasha advised before she and Nairbix walked away.

"Master, where are you going?" Anakin asked.

"We're gonna get a drink. You and Obi-Wan look around, and be discreet." She replied. At the bar, the duo received their drinks just before an alien punk snuck up to them.

"Hey, you wanna buy some death sticks?" He asked as Natasha used a Jedi mind trick.

"You don't want to sell us death sticks." She commanded.

"I don't want to sell you death sticks." He repeated.

"You want to go home and rethink your life." She added.

"I want to go home and rethink my life." He repeated again before leaving.

"I never get tired of that." Nairbix chuckled. At first, the changeling thought she had the upper hand on the duo and readied her blaster, but that thought was blown away after Natasha sensed her presence and sliced off her hand with her lightsaber.

"Easy. Jedi business. Go back to your drinks." Anakin clarified to the curious patrons as Nairbix hulled the handless killer outside. In the ally, Obi-Wan began to interrogate her.

"Do you know who it was you were trying to kill?" He asked as she moaned in pain.

"It was a senator from Naboo." She replied.

"Who was it that hired you?" Nairbix asked, but she simply said that it was a job. With his hands cackling with black lightning, he asked her again.

"It was a bounty hunter called-" But her confession was ended as a single dart pierced her throat. The next day in the council room at the temple, the four friends were informing the council of what happened the previous night.

"Track down this bounty hunter you must, Obi-Wan." Yoda ordered.

"Most importantly, find out who he's working for." Windu added.

"What about Senator Amidala?" Natasha asked, "She'll still need protecting."

"Handle that young Skywalker will." Yoda replied.

"Anakin." Windu addressed, "Escort the senator back to her home planet of Naboo. She'll be safer there. And don't use registered transport. Travel as refugees.

"As the leader of the opposition, it will be very difficult to get Senator Amidala to leave the capital." He argued.

"Until caught this killer is, our judgment she must respect." Yoda retorted.

"Anakin, go to the senate and ask Chancellor Palpatine to speak with her about this matter." Windu advised, and with that they bowed and left. While Anakin was speaking with the chancellor, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Windu, Natasha and Nairbix were walking through the halls of the temple as they discussed Anakin's assignment.

"I am concerned for my Padawan." He admitted, "He is not ready to be given this assignment on his own yet."

"The council is confident in its decision, Obi-Wan." Yoda informed.

"The boy has exceptional skills." Windu added.

"But he still has much to learn, Master." Natasha added, "Even in the short time I've been around him I can sense this. His abilities have made him, well, arrogant."

"Exactly." Obi-Wan agreed.

"Yes, yes. A flaw more and more common among Jedi." Yoda added. "Hmm, too sure of themselves they are. Even the older, more experienced ones."

"Remember, Obi-Wan, if the prophecy is true, your apprentice is the only who can bring the Force back into balance." Windu reminded.

"That's a lot to put on the shoulders of a single person, don't you think?" Nairbix asked.

"Perhaps, but for now, we Jedi must put our faith in what we believe." Windu replied as he and Yoda left to do other business. After Anakin, R2 and Padme left for Naboo, Obi-Wan, Nairbix, Wall-E and Natasha decided to look into the dart that they found the previous night.

"So, any idea how we can find out more about this thing?" Nairbix asked as they walked through the streets of Coruscant.

"I might. I have an old friend who runs a dinner down the street. He used to be privateer in his youth and knows a lot about things that are normally kept quiet, especially when they concern bounty hunters." Obi-Wan replied as they entered the dinner. From the window in the kitchen, a large, greasy and friendly four armed alien spotted the party.

"Obi-Wan!" He exclaimed happily.

"Hello, Dex." Obi-Wan replied just as happy.

"Take a seat. I'll be right with ya." He said just before coming around the door. "Hey, old buddy!" He said through his laughter as they hugged. "And who are these two?"

"These are some old friends of mine. This is Jedi Master and Radiant Garden's Princess of Heart Natasha Romanoff and True Keyblade Master Nairbix VanSull."

"Well, any friend of Obi-Wan is a friend of mine." Dex said with a wide toothy grin as he pulled in the other two into tight and friendly hugs.

"Like wise." Natasha said kindly before they all squeezed into a booth.

"So, my friends, what can I do for ya?" Dex asked.

"You can tell us what this is." Obi-Wan replied as he presented the dart.

"Well, whattaya know!" Dex exclaimed, "I ain't seen one of these since I was prospecting on Subterrel, beyond the outer rim."

"Can you tell us where it came from?" Nairbix asked.

"This baby belongs to them cloners." Dex replied, "What you got here is a Kamino saberdart."

"I wonder why it didn't show up in the analysis archives." Obi-Wan thought out loud.

"It's these funny little cuts on the side that give it away. Those analysis droids only focus on symbols. I should think that you Jedi would have more respect for the difference between knowledge and wisdom." Dex taunted while laughing.

"Well, if droids could think, there'd be none of us here, would there?" Obi-Wan retorted smirking as he examined the dart. "Kamino. I'm not familiar with it. Is it in the Republic?"

"No, no. It's beyond the outer rim." Dex clarified. "I'd say about, uh, twelve parsecs outside the Rishi Maze. Should be easy to find, even for those droids in your archives. These, uh, Kaminoans keep to themselves. They're cloners. Good ones too."

"Cloners. Are they friendly?" Natasha asked.

"Oh, depends."

"Depends on what, Dex?" Obi-Wan asked.

"On how good your manners are and how big your pocketbook is." He replied chuckling, after bidding their four armed friend goodbye, the party returned to the temple's archives in order to learn more about Kamino.

"Did you call for assistance?" The woman in charge of the archives asked as she approached them.

"Yes, yes, we did." Obi-Wan replied.

"Are you having a problem, Master Kenobi?" She asked.

"Yes, we're looking for a planetary system called Kamino. It doesn't show up on the archive charts." He explained.

"Kamino. It's not a system I'm familiar with." The woman admitted, "Are you sure you have the right coordinates?"

"According to my information, it should appear in this quadrant here, just south of the Rishi Maze." Obi-Wan said as he pointed to the chart. But when the woman zoomed in, the charts had shown nothing.

"I hate to say it, but it looks like the system you're searching for doesn't exist." She informed.

"Impossible." Obi-Wan denied, "Perhaps the archives are incomplete." He suggested, hearing this, the woman became slightly offended.

"If an item does not appear in our records it does not exist." She said before walking away.

"Well, that was a bust." Natasha sighed.

"I don't understand why it's not in the archives. Dex has never lied to me before and all the information he's given me over the years has been spot on." Obi-Wan said thinking out loud.

"What now?" Nairbix asked.

"…Maybe Master Yoda could provide some advice?" Natasha offered. In agreement, they all went to meet with Yoda who was currently training younglings in another part of the temple. As they were getting closer, they could hear the Jedi's wise words echoing through the hall.

"Reach out. Sense the Force around you. Use your feelings you must." He said while the younglings were practicing their lightsaber skills. Once he noticed the party walk in, he tapped his cane and alerted them. "Younglings. Younglings! Visitors we have."

"Hello, Masters." They all said cutely.

"Hello." Obi-Wan said as they all smiled.

"We're sorry to disturb you, Master." Natasha said as she approached the green Jedi.

"What help can I be, Natasha? Hmm?" He asked.

"We're looking for a planet described to us by an old friend." Obi-Wan stated, "I trust him, but the systems don't show on the archive maps."

"Mmm. Lost a planet our friends have. How embarrassing." Yoda teased as the children giggled. "How embarrassing. Liam, the shades." He said to one of the younglings hoping this could help the children learn. "Gather round the map reader. Clear your minds and find our friends wayward planet we will."

The room then filled with projections of stars and systems as Obi-Wan walked over to where Kamino was meant to be. "It ought to be…here, but it isn't." He said pointing to the spot.

"Gravity is pulling all the stars in the area towards this spot." Nairbix observed.

"Hmm." Yoda pondered. "Gravity's silhouette remains, but the star and all the planets disappeared they have." He said to the younglings. "How can this be?" He asked. After a moment, no one provided an answer. "Hmm? A thought? Anyone."

"Master?" A little boy asked, "Because someone erased it from the archive memory." At the display of young wisdom, Yoda proudly chuckled at the student's answer.

"Truly wonderful the mind of a child is." He said still chuckling. "The Padawan is right. Go to the center of gravity's pull and find your planet you will." Yoda informed as he walked the party out.

"It seems the data must have been erased." Nairbix suggested.

"But who could empty information from the archives?" Obi-Wan asked. "That's impossible, isn't it, Master Yoda?"

"Dangerous and disturbing this puzzle is. Only a Jedi could have erased those files. But who and why, harder to answer. Meditate on this I will." Yoda informed as he went back to the younglings.

"So, I'm guessing we're gonna head to Kamino now?" Nairbix asked.

"Looks like it." Natasha replied.

"Come on. We'll need to get to the hangar and take transports in order to get there." Obi-Wan said leading the way. In the hangar, Obi-Wan jumped into the cockpit of his red fighter while Natasha and Nairbix were looking for their own means of transportation. Natasha then noticed a larger red fighter that resembled a wide arrowhead and had more than one seat unlike Obi-Wan's.

"I call dibs on this one!" She shouted as she and Wall-E entered the ship. Before she completely entered it though, she turned around to see a nervous and unsure Nairbix. "You can ride along too, Nairbix. I know you're not good with technology." She said smirking.

"You try spending your entire life being surrounded by nature and magic before piloting a ship, believe me, it's not fun." Nairbix remarked as he walked up the ramp. After they reached space, they jumped to hyperspeed and soon came face to face with the mysterious planet Kamino. As they landed, they all saw that the planet was mostly water save for several stations above the sea. After they landed and became soaked by the rain, they entered the building to see it bright and white.

To the side, a tall, scrawny and white female Kaminoan walked up to them and bowed her head. "Master Jedi." She said to Obi-Wan and Natasha. "The prime minister is expecting you."

"We're expected?" Natasha asked.

"Of course." The host replied, "He is anxious to meet you. After all these years, we were beginning to think you weren't coming. Now please, this way." She ushered leading them down the hall. I another room, another Kaminoan rose from his seat to greet the trio. "May I present Lama Su prime minister of Kamino." She addressed as the bowed to each other. "And these are Jedi Masters…"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Natasha Romanoff."

"I trust you're going to enjoy your stay." Lama Su said to them as seats came down from the ceiling for them. "You will be delighted to hear that we are on schedule." He said confusing them all. "200,000 units are ready with a million more well on the way."

"That's good news." Obi-Wan replied playing along.

"Please tell your Master Sifo-Dyas, that his order will be met on time." Lama Su asked nicely.

"I'm sorry. Master-" Obi-Wan began.

"Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas is still a leading member of the Jedi Council, is he not?"

"Master Sifo-Dyas was killed almost ten years ago." Obi-Wan replied.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that." Lama Su said sadly. "But I'm sure he would have been proud of the army we've built for him."

"The army?" Natasha asked.

"Yes. A clone army, and I must say, one of the finest we've ever created." Lama Su replied.

"Tell me, Prime Minister, when my master first contacted you about the army, did he say who it was for?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Of course he did. This army is for the Republic. But you all must be anxious to inspect the units for yourselves." He suggested.

"That's why we're here." Nairbix replied as they all rose to see the army. All around the see-through hall were tubes that each had an unborn clone as far as the eye could see. "And I thought my birth was strange." Nairbix thought to himself as they were walking.

"Very impressive." Obi-Wan complemented.

"I'd hoped you would be pleased. Clones can think creatively. You will find that they are immensely superior to droids. We take great pride in our combat education and training programs. This group was created about five years ago." Lama Su said as they all observed the younger clones' training.

"You mentioned growth acceleration." Natasha reminded.

"Oh, yes, it's essential. Otherwise, a mature clone would take a lifetime to grow. Now we can do it in half the time." He replied. "They are totally obedient taking any order without question. We modified their genetic structure to make them less independent then the original host."

"And who was the original host?" Nairbix asked.

"A bounty hunter called Jango Fett." Lama Su replied making everyone question if this was who they were looking for.

"And where is this bounty hunter now?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Oh, we keep him here. Apart from his pay, which is considerable, Fett demanded only one thing: an unaltered clone for himself. Curious, isn't it?" He asked as they made their way to Jango's quarters.

"Unaltered?" Nairbix asked.

"Pure genetic replication." Lama Su clarified, "No tampering with the structure to make it more docile and no growth acceleration."

"We should very much like to meet this Jango Fett." Natasha informed as they looked from a balcony to see the white armored clone army marching in formation.

"Magnificent, aren't they?" Lama Su asked proudly. After they witnessed the display of the clones, the female host from before led the three of them to meet Jango. Once the door opened, a young boy dressed in blue was shown.

"Boba, is your father here?" She asked, apparently, this was Jango's unaltered clone.

"Yep." He replied.

"May we see him?" She asked.

"Sure." He replied glancing at the trio with a glare. "Dad, Taun We's here." He called.

"Jango, welcome back." Taun We greeted as Jango walked into the room. "Was your trip productive?"

"Fairly." He replied looking at the visitors.

"These are Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi, Natasha Romanoff and True Keyblade Master Nairbix VanSull. They've come to check on our progress." She informed.

"Your clones are very impressive. You must be very proud." Obi-Wan said to the bounty hunter.

"I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe." Jango replied evenly but they could see straight through him.

"Ever make your way was far as the interior as Coruscant?" Natasha asked.

"Once or twice." He replied.

"Recently?" She asked.

"Possibly."

"Then you must know Master Sifo-Dyas." Nairbix suggested. Jango then walked over to Boba and said something to him in another language causing him to walk down the hall and go into another room.

"Master who?" Jango asked feigning innocence.

"Master Sifo-Dyas." Obi-Wan repeated. "Is he not the Jedi who hired you for this job?"

Jango then got up in his face and spat, "Never heard of him."

"Really?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I was recruited by a man called Tyranus on one of the moons of Bogden." Jango informed as they stared at one another. "Do you like your army?" He asked.

"We look forward to seeing them in action." Obi-Wan replied.

"They'll do their job well. I'll guarantee that."

"Thank you for your time, Jango." Natasha said as they left. Once they were back to the ships, Obi-Wan and Natasha contacted the temple and began to speak to Yoda and Windu.

"We have successfully made contact with the prime minister of Kamino." Obi-Wan informed over the rain and wind.

"They are using a bounty hunter named Jango Fett to create a clone army. We believe that this bounty hunter is the same one we're looking for." Natasha added.

"Do you think these cloners are involved in the plot to assassinate Senator Amidala?" Windu asked.

"No, Master. There appears to be no motive." Obi-Wan replied.

"Do not assume anything, Obi-Wan." Yoda advised. "Clear your mind must be if you are to discover the real villains behind this plot."

"Yes, Master." He replied, "They say Master Sifo-Dyas placed an order for a clone army at the request of the senate almost ten years ago. I was under the impression he was killed before that. Did the council ever authorize the creation of a clone army?" He asked.

"No." Windu said stiffly, "Whoever placed that order did not have the authorization of the Jedi Council."

"Bring him here. Question him we will." Yoda informed.

"Yes, Master. We will report back when we have him." Natasha said ending the transmission. As they went back inside to retrieve Jango, they found his room empty! They then raced outside and saw Jango dressed in his bounty hunter armor trying to escape with his son. Seeing the threat, they all readied their weapons and deflected Jango's blaster.

That is until he used his jetpack to gain some distance and fire the missile on his back while Boba used the ship's weapons to blast at them. As Jango flew down to attack them again, Natasha jumped into the air and kicked Jango while sending him to the ground. They then engaged in a fist fight while Obi-Wan and Nairbix tried to fend off Boba's attacks, but Jango was able to get the upper hand and escape just after Obi-Wan managed to land a tracker on their ship.

They followed them across space to a red planet surrounded by an asteroid field. Once Jango spotted them, he launched a large weapon from his ship.

"Seismic charges!" Obi-Wan exclaimed through the channel, "Stand by." As the charge made contact with an asteroid, it released a sonic blast throwing off the two ships. After he repeated this tactic two more time, Jango launched two homing missile at the ships.

"Blast, this is why I hate flying!" Obi-Wan shouted as he tried to lose the missile. While Natasha was trying to do the same thing, she was spinning her ship and swerving it left and right.

"Ugh, I can't take it!" Nairbix shouted turning as green as Yoda. "I'm gonna throw up!"

"Not in here, you're not!" Natasha snapped while Wall-E beeped fearfully at the thought. "Wall-E, release the spare part containers from the rear." She ordered as her little droid activated the computer.

"R4, do the same." Obi-Wan said to his droid. Once the parts were released, the missiles made contact and exploded which made Jango believe that he killed them. After waiting, they flew down to the surface and followed Jango's tracker.

"There's an unusual concentration of Federation ships over there, Natasha." Nairbix said as he looked through the window of the ship.

"Obi-Wan, where are we?" Natasha asked as they landed.

"On a planet called Geonosis. I think we ought to take a closer look at what we're dealing with." He said once they were all outside before they began to walk around. The following morning, they came across a strange looking citadel and found a battle droid factory inside. In the distance, they could hear a man's voice and began to follow it.

"We must persuade the Commerce Guild and the Corporate Alliance to sign the treaty." The voice said deeply.

"What about the senator from Naboo?" Another voice said, it actually belonged to Viceroy Nute Gunray. "Is she dead yet? I'm not signing your treaty until I have her head on my desk." He snarled.

"I am a man of my word, Viceroy. As I explained to you earlier, I am quite convinced that 10,000 more systems will rally to our cause with your support, gentlemen. Our friends from the Trade Federation have pledged their support, and when their battle droids are combined with yours, we shall have an army greater than any in the galaxy. The Jedi will be overwhelmed." The man said. He was an elderly man with neatly combed white hair and a matching beard wearing black clothes under a sleeveless coat hanging on his shoulders. "The Republic will agree to any demands we make."

"Who is that guy?" Nairbix asked.

"That's Count Dooku." Obi-Wan said in shock.

"That's Dooku?" Natasha asked before she winced in pain.

"Natasha?" Nairbix asked taking her in his arms. "What is it, what do you sense?"

"Pain." She said in sorrow before looking at her friends, "Anakin is in terrible, terrible pain."

"…I sense it too. His heart is broken." Nairbix said knowing what happened. "Shmi Skywalker has been…killed." He said as they all bowed their heads in silence over the loss of the kind woman.

"We must make contact with the council." Obi-Wan said knowing they had to continue.

"Agreed. You and Natasha head back to the ships and try to contact Coruscant." Nairbix suggested.

"What will you do?" Natasha asked.

"I want to know more about what it is these Separatists are planning. I'm going to sneak around and look into their plans. If I find anything useful, I'll contact you." He said as they parted ways. Using his powers as a True Master, Nairbix made it to where his presence was completely erased even to those who could sense him like the Jedi.

He then came across a large panel showing red holograms from above and on the screen. One file in particular caught Nairbix's eye and caused him to look through it.

"Project Death Star?" He asked in his mind as he looked through. It appeared to be incomplete, but from what the plans did show, a large devastating station would be in the Separatists' future if they succeeded. Coming across no further information, Nairbix turned around and bumped right into Dooku.

"What in the?" He asked as he grabbed hold of Nairbix ending the spell.

"…How you doing?" He asked sheepishly. Needless to say, Dooku had his droids take Nairbix to a containment room where Natasha and Obi-Wan were. "Did you guys pull through?" He asked.

"Yep." Natasha replied with a pop. Just then, Dooku walked into the room in order to greet his captives.

"Traitor." Obi-Wan snapped at the sight of his former fellow Jedi.

"Oh, no, my friend." Dooku denied. "This is a mistake, a terrible mistake. They've gone too far. This is madness."

"Then why were you so eager to throw me in here?" Nairbix asked dryly.

"It was simply a precaution and a means to prevent any violence…" He carried.

"True Keyblade Master Nairbix VanSull." He addressed.

"Ah, yes. I remember hearing of how you assisted the Jedi and Naboo nearly ten years ago. Which must mean, you are Princess Natasha Romanoff." Dooku said glancing the hovering and slowly spinning redhead.

"Princess and Jedi Master, to be exact. I also know who you are thanks to Qui-Gon." She said causing the Count to pause for a moment.

"Yes, I also heard of what my late former Padawan had done." He said sadly, "I do miss him, so much."

"I thought you were the leader here, Dooku." Obi-Wan said trying to get information.

"This had nothing to do with me, I assure you. I will petition immediately to have you set free." He replied.

"Well, I hope it doesn't take too long. We have work to do." Obi-Wan taunted.

"May I ask why a Jedi knight, a Jedi Master and member of the council and a True Keyblade Master are all the way out here on Geonosis?" Dooku asked as he paced around them.

"We've been tracking a bounty hunter named Jango Fett. Do you know him?" Obi-Wan asked.

"There are no bounty hunters here that I am aware of. The Geonosians don't trust them." Dooku replied.

"Who can blame them?" Natasha joked. "But he is here, we can assure you."

"It is a great pity that our paths have never crossed before, my friends. I'm sure that Qui-Gon's last adventure was a splendid one thanks to you. I wish he was still alive. I could use his help right now."

"Qui-Gon Jinn would never join you." Natasha denied.

"Don't be so sure, my young Jedi." Dooku replied. "He knew all about the corruption in the senate but he would never have gone along with it if he had learned the truth as I have."

"The truth?" They all asked.

"The truth." Dooku responded. "What if I told you that the Republic was now under the control of the dark lord of the Sith?"

"No, that's not possible. The Jedi would be aware of it." Obi-Wan denied hotly.

"The dark side of the Force has clouded their vision, my friend. Hundreds of senators are now under the influence of a Sith lord called Darth Sidious."

"I don't believe you." Obi-Wan retorted while Nairbix and Natasha stayed silent.

"The viceroy of the Trade Federation was once in league with this Darth Sidious. But he was betrayed ten years ago by the dark lord. He came to me for help. He told me everything. You must join me, my friends and together we will destroy the Sith!" Dooku said to them.

"We will never join you, Dooku." They all said. He seemed disappointed at first as he walked away, and in the doorframe, he gave them one last sentence.

"It may be difficult to secure your release."

"He seems nice." Nairbix said sarcastically.

Later that day, Dooku had the trio taken to the Geonosians' colosseum and had them chained to poles so the locals could watch them die. On a chariot coming from inside, Anakin and Padme were being wheeled out for the same fate.

"Hey, you guys managed to join the party!" Natasha said trying to lighten the mood.

"I was beginning to think you hadn't gotten our transmission." Obi-Wan admitted.

"I retransmitted it just as you had requested, Master." Anakin said as he was being chained. "Then we decided to come and rescue you."

"And you've done a fabulous job." Natasha teased while a Geonosian got up in her face to secure her chains. "Will you please stop? It's bad enough you're trying to kill me. I don't want to die by looking at your ugly face." She said as the bug-like creature screeched in her face before walking away.

Up at the center balcony, Dooku and the Separatist leaders came into view to see the executions. From three different sides, three beasts bred to kill were released. One was a large bulky red beast with three horns, another was a tall green insect creature with razor sharp teeth and pincers. Finally, the last one was a large cat-like monster with a wide mouth and multiple fangs.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Anakin remarked.

"Well, they want a show." Natasha said as she and Nairbix broke their bonds. "Let's give them one. Nairbix, give me cover." She informed.

"You're not really gonna try that technique now, are you?" He asked as he snapped his fingers causing the other chains to burst. She then snapped her own fingers which made her lightsaber appear by magic.

"Yep. And I'm gonna need time to do it too." She said raising her arms and widening them. She was now using the Force to make an extremely large sphere of condensed air while Nairbix and the others took care of the beasts. After they subdued each creature, Natasha was able to compress the massive air sphere into a glowing ball of light in the palms of her hands.

"This is you only warning, Dooku!" She shouted. "Surrender and end this yourself, or I will!"

"Unfortunately for you, Master Romanoff." Dooku announced, "It isn't in my nature to surrender."

"…Very well." She said quietly, "Then prepare to face the full destructive power of the Force." She opened her hands and slowly sent the ball several feet in front of her before she widened her hands and released her attack. It was a blinding explosive and destructive burst of the compressed air mixed with the Force, and it had a blast radius of 1/3 of the planet.

"Get down!" Nairbix shouted as he and the Jedi dived to the ground covering their heads from the blast. After the dust settled, only Natasha was left standing in the massive crater she created. Most of the colosseum was destroyed as well as nearly all of the Geonosians. On the balcony or what was left of it, Dooku shakenly rose in fear at the display of power.

"Consider that your warning!" Natasha shouted. "I have no problem with doing that again with even more power if need be!"

"That won't be necessary." A deep voice said from behind Dooku. It was Windu with his purple lightsaber activated and ready.

"Master Windu." Dooku said finding his voice. "How pleasant of you to join us."

"This party's over." He said with a deadly look and tone as every Jedi knight and Master made themselves known by igniting their lightsabers.

"Brave but foolish, my old Jedi friend. You're hopelessly outnumbered." Dooku smirked as Windu scoffed.

"I don't think so." He said.

"We'll see." Dooku smirked as the sound of battle droids marching filled the air. Soon, droids filled the ruined arena and clashed with the numerous Jedi. Wanting in on the action, Jango flew down and began to fight with Windu only to have his head sliced clean off.

With only a handful of Jedi remaining, the droids surrounded them and ceased their fire.

"Master Windu, you have fought gallantly." Dooku called out to the sixteen remaining fighters. "Worthy of recognition in the archives of the Jedi order. Now, it is finished. Surrender, and your lives will be spared."

"We will not be hostages to be bartered, Dooku!" Natasha shouted.

"Then, I'm sorry, my dear." He said sadly as the droids readied to finish them. But before they could, ships filled with clone soldiers led by Yoda covered the sky. They were easily able to blast the droids and distract them for the remaining Jedi to fight back as they made their escape.

In the ship with Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padme, Natasha and Nairbix the Geonosians in their combat towers began to fire at them.

"Aim right above the fuel cells!" Anakin told the clones, as they did, the towers came collapsing down in fiery explosions.

"Good call, my young Padawan." Obi-Wan complemented.

"Look over there!" Nairbix said as he pointed at Dooku on a speeder.

"It's Dooku! Shoot him down!" Anakin ordered in anger.

"We're out of rockets, sir." The clone pilot informed.

"Follow him!" Anakin said back.

"We're gonna need some help." Padme suggested.

"There isn't time!" Obi-Wan said over the wind. "The four of us can handle this!"

Suddenly, two ships came from behind and blasted the carrier knocking Padme out and rolling down in the sand.

"Put the ship down!" Anakin ordered.

"Anakin! Don't let your personal feelings get in the way!" Natasha shouted.

"Follow that speeder!" Nairbix ordered.

"Lower the ship!" Anakin shouted again.

"We'll need your help against Dooku!" Obi-Wan shouted, "If we catch him, we can end this war right now! We have a job to do!"

"I don't care! Put the ship down!" He said again. This time, Nairbix couldn't control himself and punched Anakin right in the jaw.

"Get your head out of your ass and focus!" He shouted. "What do you think Padme would do were she in your position?" After shifting his jaw and noticing his bloody lip, Anakin gave his answer.

"She would do her duty." As Dooku zoomed into a cave that had his ship, Obi-Wan, Natasha, Nairbix and Anakin charged in with their weapons ready. "You're gonna pay for all the Jedi that you killed today, Dooku." Anakin said as glared at their opponent.

"We'll take him together." Natasha whispered.

"No, I'm taking him now!" Anakin shouted as he charged like a fool.

"No, Anakin! No! No!" Obi-Wan shouted as Dooku electrocuted the Padawan with Force lightning and tossed him to the side.

"As you can see, my Jedi powers are far beyond yours." Dooku declared as he and the others slowly paced. "Now…back down." He said sending more lightning at them only to have it deflected by Natasha's lightsaber.

"I don't think so." Nairbix said before sending his own black lightning at the Sith bringing him to his knees in pain and surprise.

"Nairbix, since when can you do that?" Natasha asked not taking her eyes of Dooku.

"Since now." He replied with a wicked grin.

"You copied my technique after witnessing it one time?!" Dooku asked in shock.

"I'm what they call, gifted." Nairbix replied while Dooku ignited his own crimson lightsaber. Obi-Wan rushed in first to psyche out Dooku, but the older man had more experience and sliced the Jedi's arm and leg bringing him to the ground.

Anakin then jumped over and did his best to deal with Dooku, but he once again proved his strength superior by cutting off Anakin's arm and sending him to his sprawled master. Dooku looked over to the remaining duo and grinned at them maliciously. Nairbix rushed over to tend to his friends' wounds while Natasha was left to face the fallen Jedi.

He sent another blast of Force lightning at her, but she easily sent it right back at him. "You've become powerful, Dooku. I sense the dark side in you gives you strength."

"I have become more powerful than any Jedi." He said sending more lightning only to see the princess dispel it. "It is obvious this contest cannot be decided by our knowledge of the Force." Dooku said as his weapon hissed as it activated. "But by our skills with a lightsaber."

They then leapt at each other and clashed their crimson weapons with incredible speed. "You've fought well." Natasha commented as they pressed their weapons against each other.

"This is just the beginning." Dooku growled as he used the Force to tear down a column above her friends. In fear, she looked over to them just before Nairbix used a Flux Wave to toss it aside while Dooku managed to escape.

After his ship had zoomed out of sight, Yoda and Windu along with a battalion of clones ran into the cavern.

"Master Romanoff." Yoda addressed the seething Jedi. "Where is Count Dooku?"

"…He got away." She replied through her gritting teeth.

"Sigh, dwell on what has happened we cannot. Leave this place we must and tend to Master Kenobi and his Padawan's injuries." Yoda said before limping back to the ship.

"Yes, Master." Natasha replied still angry at Dooku. As he was traveling through space, he landed his ship in the abandoned district on Coruscant where he met with his hooded master.

"The Force is with us, Master Sidious." He said to the Sith.

"Welcome home, Lord Tyranus." Sidious greeted using his apprentice's Sith name. "You have done well."

"I have good news for you, my lord. The war has begun."

"Excellent." Sidious replied, "Everything is going as planned."

Back in the council room in the Jedi Temple, Windu, Yoda, Natasha, Nairbix and Obi-Wan were discussing the matter of the war.

"Do you believe what Count Dooku said about Sidious controlling the senate?" Obi-Wan asked. "It doesn't feel right."

"Joined the dark side Dooku has." Yoda said bitterly. "Lies, deceit-creating mistrust are his ways now."

"Nevertheless, I feel we should keep a closer eye on the senate." Windu suggested.

"I agree." Natasha said.

"Where is your apprentice?" Windu asked Obi-Wan.

"On his way to Naboo escorting Senator Amidala home." He replied. "I have to admit that without the clones, it would not have been a victory."

"Victory?" Nairbix asked in disbelief. "You think that that was a victory? That was no victory, Obi-Wan. The shroud of the dark side has fallen. The Clone Wars have begun." He said with dread.

 **And, scene! Before I end this, let me clear some things up that may have been confusing. For one thing, I intentionally cut out the parts with Padme and Anakin, mostly because I think we who like Star Wars can all agree that the guy who played Anakin sucked at acting. Another, Natasha's personal ship will be like the ones used in the Guardians of the Galaxy and the technique she used on Geonosis is a Force version of Bartholomew Kuma's Ursa Shock attack from One Piece. And yes, I had it where Nairbix had a little sneak peak at the Death Star, I won't say why until later on.**

 **In the upcoming chapter, you will get to meet Nairbix's clone troopers as well as an episode from The Clone Wars show. After that one, my updates will be slower considering I will have gotten caught up with the chapter I'm working on now. A little heads up, I'll only be doing a few episodes/sagas per season so don't expect to see every episode on here. Not to mention, I just got a job so my weekends will be a bit more busy than usual and that I often get writer's block and since my wifi sucks, Netflix will often be uncooperative.**

 **Oh, and before I forget. I have some thoughts regarding Mal from Descendants, if anyone wants to know PM me or leave a review because I need some advice regarding what I have planned to do with her. Stay tuned and may the Force be with you.**


	17. Meeting the Squad and The First Mission

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Star Wars, their characters or anything that falls under the rights of Disney. There will be another an at the end.**

Four months had passed and the Republic began to ready its forces for the new war while the Jedi were also preparing. Since they were so revered and respected, the Jedi masters and knights had the ranking of general in the army as well as their own battalion of clone troopers. This could also be said for Nairbix. Right now, he and Natasha along with Wall-E were on their way to meet their battalions and address their troopers.

They soon went their separate ways to their star battle ships and met with the clones. On the bridge, Nairbix came face to face with the ship's admiral.

"Ah, General VanSull, I assume?" He asked in a deep voice. He was average height with the appearance of a human with faded black hair and a short well-trimmed beard.

"That's correct. And you must be Admiral Yensk." Nairbix said as they shook hands.

"Indeed, sir. Now if you will follow me, I will show you to your troopers." Yensk said with his hands behind his back as they left the bridge. "I must say, I was surprised to hear that you only asked for a battalion as small as this one, General." He admitted, "Only thirteen soldiers to assist you for a war?"

"Well, with my experience in battle, I find it easier to accomplish something with others if you can keep close to them in smaller numbers." Nairbix replied, "Along with that, my troops and I will often be performing missions that require stealth and small numbers when we aren't assisting the Jedi. Which we will be doing often with General Romanoff's troopers."

"I see. I suppose that makes sense." Yensk said just before they reached the barracks. "You'll find your troopers in there, General. The commanding officer is Colonel Spades, you'll know him when you see him. Good luck."

As the doors slid open, Nairbix saw his thirteen clone soldiers standing in attention from lowest to highest in rank. Each one had the same face, but they all had at least one detail that made them stand out from their brothers.

"Which one of you is Colonel Spades?" Nairbix asked showing no emotion.

"Right here, sir." Spades said. He wore purple pads on the left side of his white armor and held his purple painted helmet under his armpit. He had a shaven head, gray eyes and a diagonal scar across his face. "A pleasure to finally meet you, General VanSull." He said with an outstretched hand.

"Likewise, Colonel." He then walked over to inspect his troop and saw none of them even twitch.

"What you see here is Kamino's top stealth and combat squad. This is Noise Maker squad." Spades informed.

"How ironic. I like it." Nairbix grinned as he stood before the first white cadet. "State your name and rank, soldier." He ordered.

"Sir, Private Lor of Noise Maker squad at your service, sir!" He said loudly. Behind him, Nairbix could hear Spades chuckle and say, "Shinnies."

Lor had a traditional buzz cut and black hair along with blue eyes. Across his nose and cheeks was a long tattoo consisting of small squares. Nairbix nodded and sent Lor back before he walked to the next cadet.

"Soldier!" He addressed.

"That would be Sergeant Wool, sir." Spades clarified. Wool had no tattoos of his own or any scars, he had blue paint on his armor and what seemed to be the mark of a fist on his left chest plate.

"Sgt. Wool, do think you have what it takes to serve in this squadron let alone this army in order to defend the rights of the Republic and all those who live within it?" Nairbix asked, but Wool said nothing and stared at Nairbix. "Sgt. Wool, answer, man!" Nairbix barked.

"He's a mute, General." Spades clarified, "Clankers on Geonosis ripped out his tongue during the battle." As he said this, Wool opened his mouth to show he was indeed missing his tongue. Seeing this, Nairbix shuddered. "So to communicate, he developed his own form of hand gestures instead."

"Oh, very well then. Sgt. Wool, same question but with a different response." Wool then gave him the oddest gestures he had ever seen. He flicked his left fingers and shook his wrist three times before giving a simple nod.

Nairbix looked at Spades in confusion before he answered. "Mostly we figure that means yes."

Nairbix then addressed his remaining troopers. Privates Keres, L, and Tails. Corporal Vince, Lance Corporal Dars, Sgt. Major Kul, Lieutenants Zack and Lou, Captain Tear, and Commander Jackal. All of them different in personal ways except face and voice.

"Now that we're all acquainted with each other, it's time I get to the other reason why I stopped by." Nairbix informed as he walked over to the debriefing holo-panel. With Spades punching in several keys, three holograms of three different people appeared.

"Now as you all know, this man is Count Dooku, Sith Lord and leader of the Separatists." Nairbix said enlarging Dooku's image. "We will undoubtedly come across Dooku throughout this war and if we do, all of you are to do one thing. Leave him to me. I don't doubt any of your skills or your strengths, but Dooku is as I said, a Sith. Meaning, he has powers over the Force and is easily capable of killing all of you rather quickly."

"This next person is his apprentice, Asjas Ventress." He said showing a tall white skinned bald woman dressed in black. "Her skills aren't nearly as good as Dooku's from what our intelligence has provided, but they are the equivalent to that of a Jedi knight. From what we know, she wields two lightsabers and will often use the Force to choke her victims to death when she can. As of now, she merely acts as Dooku's assassin."

"And our final individual is the leader of the droid army, General Grievous." He said showing a hunched over droid with a long green cape and yellow eyes. "Don't let his appearance fool you, he's not a droid. His vital organs are inside his armor and he ironically hates droids. But not as much as the Republic and Jedi. He's extremely loyal to Dooku and will do anything he says. What's more, he takes it upon himself to steal lightsabers from Jedi he's killed."

"Pardon me, General." Jackal interrupted, "But are you saying that Grievous is a Jedi or a Sith?"

"Neither, but he has been taught how to properly fight with lightsabers by Dooku himself. He also has a total of four arms which allows him to use four lightsabers. From what Generals Kenobi and Skywalker have told me from their brief encounter with him, he's incredibly skilled. Not to mention, he loves to participate in battles on the frontlines in order to get a better view of the destruction."

"Aside from dealing with these individuals, our mission throughout this war is simple." Nairbix said with authority. "We are to ensure that no innocents on either side are harmed. We only deal with the droids and those who seek to ensure that innocent people and creatures are harmed."

"Well said, General." Spades complemented as he pulled up the next set of plans. "This is our current assignment. We are to rendezvous with Generals Skywalker and Kenobi and assist them on the planet Christophsi. Currently, the planet is under the control of the Separatists' army. We're to go there, assist the others and take back the planet."

"Is that understood?" Nairbix asked.

"Sir, yes, sir." His troops replied.

"I said, is that understood?" He asked again.

"Sir, yes, sir!" They shouted.

"We're Noise Maker squad. Let's go make some noise." He smirked. Once they made it to the designated planet, Nairbix came to see his old friends' new appearances. Obi-Wan had cut his hair to a shorter well-kept length and now wore white armor pads over his white robes. Anakin now a Jedi knight, had his hair grown out to a wild shaggy look and wore dark blue robes and pads.

"Looks like you've arrived just in time, Nairbix." Anakin said crossing his arms.

"Well, I have been known for saving you guys when things get edgy, so here I am." He teased. "Oh, and congratates on the promotion, by the way."

"Thanks. I trust you know the situation?" Anakin asked.

"Yes. My troops and I are well aware of the situation and are ready."

"Good to hear." Obi-Wan said looking out into the distance, "Because we'll definitely need stealth to assist us in this mission."

"You have a plan, yes?"

"Of course." Obi-Wan chuckled. The plan was simple, they wound wait for the droids to come in between the two towers, one held Obi-Wan and his men while the other held Anakin and his. As for Noise Maker squad, they were providing ground support at the base of the towers in separate groups.

From his viewpoint in his tower, Obi-Wan looked through his binoculars to find the enemy. "Anakin, how are you doing over there?" He asked via com-link.

"We're set." He replied, "I've got some guys who are anxious to get going."

"Glad to hear it. The same can be said for us." Nairbix said through his own com-link.

From Obi-Wan's viewpoint, his clone officer Commander Cody walked in and alerted that he returned. "Good, the fun's about to begin." Obi-Wan replied.

"The droids are advancing." Nairbix alerted. "We're talking a full battalion coming right on schedule."

"Tanks!" Spades alerted, "They brought tanks, General." Sure enough, the frontline droids were followed by hovering tanks. But before anyone could give an order, the droids divided into three separate groups. "They're splitting up!"

"What?" Cody asked through the channel.

"Something's wrong." Obi-Wan realized and as he was about to give another order, battle droids came in blasting everyone in sight. "Abort the mission!" He shouted as he deflected the blasts with his lightsaber.

"Our position's been compromised, sir!" One of the troopers informed as more droids came from the other entrance.

"Obi-Wan, what's going on?" Anakin asked as he saw the violence.

"We're cut off! They're on to us!" He replied.

"Excellent." Nairbix said sarcastically, "Alright, boys! We're going with plan B!" He shouted to his troops.

"Nairbix, what are you talking about?" Anakin asked.

"Don't worry about it. Try and get us an evac from Hawk."

"Okay, if you say so." He replied reluctantly, "Gunship, come in. Hawk, we need an evac in the south tower, now!"

"Roger that, sir." Hawk replied as he flew towards them.

"South tower?" Anakin's officer, Rex asked. "We're in the north."

"Not for long." Anakin replied. As he activated his lightsaber, he made two quick slashes against the window and shattered it with the Force. "Rex, fire your cables!" He ordered, as they zipped across the tower, Nairbix dealt with the droids below.

"Mine Field." He whispered as he used his magic. All around the road the droids were on, magical orange circles appeared and exploded as soon as something went over them. For added measure, Nairbix sent a dark blast of destruction down the road to exterminate any remaining droid. "All clear down here. You two better settle your affairs up there."

After Anakin provided an opening for his former master, they managed to escape to the roof where Hawk's gunship was waiting, after most of them got onboard and picked up Nairbix and his squad, they headed back to base.

Inside the control room, Cody, Rex and Spades were examining a battle droid's head hoping to find out how they knew their locations. All they could find was that the droid already knew the locations before it short-circuited.

"Blast!" Cody snarled slamming his fist.

"Glad to see we're not the only ones having a bad day." Anakin joked as he and the others walked in.

"Generals," Cody addressed. "They had all our intel.

"That explains the ambush." Nairbix provided.

"How could we have left ourselves so vulnerable to a security breach?" Anakin asked.

"I don't think we did." Obi-Wan suggested.

"You think someone infiltrated our defenses?" Anakin asked.

"Possibly." Obi-Wan mussed, "It would have to be someone cunning and resourceful enough to gain access to our plans."

"But that still wouldn't explain how they got our intel." Nairbix reminded.

"No, you're right." Obi-Wan agreed, "They wouldn't act alone…they'd have someone working with them."

"A spy, sir?" Cody asked not believing his ears. "But who would want to betray our troops to the sepies?"

"Excellent question, Commander. Perhaps it's time we paid a visit behind enemy lines. I think we'll find our answers there." Nairbix suggested.

"We'll get right on it." Spades replied.

"No, Colonel. We'll need you to stay and keep watch in case something comes up." Obi-Wan denied.

"You can count on us, sir." Rex replied.

"One more thing." Nairbix added, "This mission is extremely confidential. The spy could be anyone. Let no one know about this."

"Understood, sir." Spades said nodding his head. As the three generals left, Cody noticed one of the com-links was turned on.

"Someone left his com-link on. Someone was listening to everything we said." He growled. Out of the corner of his eye, Rex noticed a fellow clone dart out of view.

"Hey, stop!" He shouted, but the clone kept running which made the three officers chase after him.

"Who's that?" Spades asked as they were running.

"I'll follow him. You two take the west corridor." Cody said.

"We're on it." They replied. After they found themselves at the end of their hallways, they found no sign of the spy, only the door to the mess hall.

"They must have gone into the mess." Spades said before they walked through and saw who was inside.

"Oh, boy." Spades groaned.

"We've got a big problem." Cody said stating the obvious.

"Yeah, the only ones in here are brothers." Rex said looking at all the clones. Back in the control room with R2, Spades spat out his thoughts.

"One of us, but which one?!" He asked rhetorically.

"We'll have to keep this to ourselves and wait until his next move." Cody advised.

"Better contact the generals." Rex suggested.

"I'm on it." Cody replied, as he tried to contact them, he discovered the communications were jammed. "We can't get through. Whoever it is has blocked our communications."

"We'll need to find this guy ourselves." Spades added.

"R2, come over here and plug in." Rex said as the droid beeped in reply.

"What are you doing?" Cody asked.

"The guy got his messages out there somehow, just got to find him."

"What do you think, he just sat down and wrote a note?" Cody asked.

"Have to start somewhere." Spades said.

As this was going on, the three generals were zipping past numerous droids as they rode on speeders. "We seemed to have picked up some friends!" Anakin said over the wind.

"Indeed, in fact, I believe the number of eyes watching us is steadily growing." Obi-Wan added.

"Great, perhaps our adversary has learned about our mission." Anakin suggested.

"Perhaps it does." Nairbix agreed.

"Even though no one's tried to stop us yet." Anakin added.

"Also true." Nairbix nodded.

"Which means this is a trap." Anakin realized.

"One can only hope." Nairbix said with a wicked grin as they continued to ride.

Back with Spades, Rex, R2 and Cody, R2 downloaded the needed information onto a portable radar. "R2's found something." Rex alerted.

"What is it? Is it the traitor?" Cody asked.

"Maybe, I'm not sure." Rex replied confused as he looked at the radar.

"What is it he's looking for?" Spades asked.

"Wavelength interference." Rex said pointing to the screen, "See how it comes up every few days? Day to day, you wouldn't notice it."

"And it's only coming from one terminal throughout the whole base." Spades added, "Slick's barracks. Only his men would have access to that terminal."

"Yeah, Slick's not gonna like that." Rex said shaking his head.

"No, he's not." Cody agreed, "One of his men is giving away our intel. We have to find him and sort this out."

Back with Nairbix and the others, they reached the end of the road to find an old building with no protection. "No guards, no barricades. You'd think the Separatist's headquarters would be better protected." Anakin said as they walked to the front doors.

"But clearly, keeping us out is not their intent." Obi-Wan said as he used the Force to open the large doors.

"No, no way!" Slick exclaimed back at the barracks, "My guys are the best. No way is one of them capable of something like this!" He huffed crossing his arms.

"Something like what?" One of Slick's men asked as they all walked in.

"You called them here?" Slick asked.

"Of course we did. We're getting to the bottom of this, now." Spades said coldly.

"Look, let me have a few minutes with them first." Slick pleaded, "It's gonna hit them hard. They trust each other. And if one of our own betrayed us-"

"I don't think that's necessary." Cody interrupted as he walked in front of the troops as they stood at attention. "Your men are tough, right?"

"Take a seat gentlemen." Spades ordered, and so they did.

"We have a turncoat in our midst. And we think it's one of you." Cody informed.

As the interrogation began, Nairbix, Anakin and Obi-Wan came to the top floor of the headquarters and looked for the enemy.

"So this is the belly of the beast." Anakin mused as a hooded figure walked in front of them. It was Dooku's pale skinned assassin.

"Ventress." Obi-Wan addressed as he stroked his beard, "And here I thought this would be unpleasant."

"The pleasure's all mine, my dear Obi-Wan. I've missed you." She teased as she took off her cloak.

"Aw, four months into the war and you've made a friend before I did?" Nairbix asked with a fake pout. "Color me green with envy, old friend."

"What were you doing after we got back, soldier?" Rex asked as he and his fellow colored officers glared daggers at the cadet in question.

"I don't know." He answered nervously, "I was just doing the things I always do after a mission."

"Things like what?" Spades asked sternly.

"I'm sorry, sir." He apologized, "It's just-I'm a little bit nervous. You're my C.O."

"The way I see it, you've got nothing to be nervous about if you've got nothing to hide." Spades responded.

"Yester is telling the truth." One of the other clones defended. "Cleans his weapon after every mission. First thing every time, he's kinda obsessed that way."

"Is that right?" Cody asked, "You were cleaning your weapon?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Go on the computer while you were in here?" He asked.

"No, sir. Didn't even power it up. You can check." Yester offered.

"Show us your weapon." Cody ordered, Yester complied and presented his riffle. "Yep, freshly scrubbed."

"The rag's over there in the corner." Yester added as he took back his weapon.

"Good man. You," Cody asked the clone who defended Yester, "You were cleaning your weapon too?"

"No, sir. I was hungry, I went back to the mess." He replied.

"Right away?" Rex asked getting close to the trooper.

"Oh, yeah."

"Anyone with you?"

"Sketch, sir." He said gesturing to the clone next to him.

"We went to the mess at the same time, got our grub and sat together." Sketch added.

"Anyone else in the mess able to confirm what you two are saying?" Rex asked pacing in front of them.

"Lots of guys, ask any of them." Sketch suggested.

"Oh, we will." Rex said intimidatingly.

"Captain, if you will just give me a moment with them!" Slick pleaded.

"No, it's okay, Serge. I was in the infirmary." Another clone said pointing to his wounded arm. "Got banged up pretty good by one of those clankers. Med droid fix me up, doc's got all the records there." He said as Cody inspected the arm.

They then walked over to a soldier that clearly had an attitude. "So, Chopper, old boy." Rex addressed the scarred clone, "What's your alibi?"

"I was in the mess hall." He replied not even looking at them.

"No, you weren't!" Sketch said standing up. "I mean-"

"If you know something, kid. You should speak up." Spades warned as everyone surrounded him and Chopper.

"Chopper came in a lot later, after everyone else." Sketch admitted.

While this was going on, Ventress pulled out her crimson lightsabers while the two Jedi readied their blue ones and Nairbix summoned his Keyblade. Before anyone tried to strike, Ventress jumped up the stairs gaining the high ground.

"My loyal informant let me know you were coming." She informed as she grinned.

"Well then, we thank you for your hospitality." Obi-Wan replied just before they engaged Ventress.

"Where were you before the mess, Chopper?" Rex asked while Chopper looked at his fingers nonchalantly.

"Nowhere, walking around." He replied.

"Son, you know we'll need a better answer than that." Cody reminded sternly.

"Sigh, I was hiding." Chopper admitted, "At the south exit. I didn't want anyone to see me string these together." He said showing a ring of battle droid fingers. "I just-I just wanted something back. I guess I felt like they owed me." He huffed.

"I always knew there was something deficient about you." A clone said glaring at Chopper as he turned his back to them.

"This isn't good, Chopper." Slick warned, "Lying about where you were. Taking forbidden items from a battle field!"

"I know." Chopper replied.

"I put up with the attitude because you have skill. But if you can break these rules, your whole character's in question here." Slick said hotly.

"Wait, hold on, I'm no spy!" Chopper defended.

"Chopper, we're all brothers, but how can we trust anything you say now?" Slick asked.

"No, sirs!" Chopper said to the officers, "I did not-"

"It's all right, Chopper." Slicked said gently, "You don't need to say anything else until the generals come back."

This did not go unnoticed by the trio. They never said anything regarding the generals. Just then, Chopper began to get up into Slick's face and question him.

"Maybe you should talk, sir?! Tell them where you went. I was at the south exit, remember?! I saw you go in, sir. I saw you." He growled.

"Chopper, I have been patient-"

"Everyone else turned right, towards the barracks and the mess. You went left, towards the command center. Where were you going, sir?" Chopper asked.

"Obviously, the kid feels cornered." Slicked said trying to change the subject.

"Sergeant," Spades asked, "What did you mean by when the generals come back? How did you know they were gone?"

"…I really wish you hadn't noticed that, sir!" Slick said making a break for the door.

"It's Slick?! Slick's the traitor?!" Rex exclaimed as he, Cody and Spades ran after him. For a while, they lost Slick and attempted to look for him outside the base where the gunships were docked.

"I got someone by the gunships." Rex informed as he read his wrist radar.

"That's our Slick." Cody replied as he and Spades followed Rex.

"There's no escape for you now, you piece of rank-weed!" Spades shouted in anger as he readied his Gatling Pistols. When they came around the corner, they only found Slick's belt with an active explosive about to go off. After it did, explosives all around the area began to detonate.

"He took out our weapons depo." Rex said bluntly. "He'd knew where we'd look. He's not trying to escape."

"He knows all our moves before we even make them." Spades added dryly.

Back to the other battle, the trio was able to back Ventress into a corner. "Give up, Ventress!" Obi-Wan snarled as she sat on the floor.

"I'm all yours, Obi-Wan." She said seductively before igniting her lightsabers on the floors shattering it to pieces and causing all but Nairbix to fall to the floor below.

"What?!" Ventress asked as she saw Nairbix hover and smirk.

"Oh, no one told you I could fly?" He asked overly sweet, "Too bad for you, because I can!" He shouted as he rushed in to his opponent. As he landed each blow against her and her lightsabers, Nairbix gained the upper hand.

He then blinded Ventress by swinging the end of his coat in front of her eyes, turned and gave her a powerful sidekick to the face causing her to break through the window. However, Ventress was able to get away and hope onto one of her spider droids which was backed up by an army.

"Come and get me, boys!" Ventress taunted as Anakin and Obi-Wan joined up with Nairbix.

"You didn't tell us you were bringing friends." Obi-Wan mentioned as he noticed the droids.

"Poor, Obi-Wan." Ventress mocked, "You've been betrayed. And now we will take over this world!"

"We'll see. Chains!" Nairbix shouted as he shot multiple links from his right hand. The chains the wrapped themselves around the massive droid's leg. As Nairbix pulled on them, the droid tipped over and caused it to fall to the ground.

While Nairbix could easily take out all the droids before him, his two Jedi friends could not. So, as the droid fell to the ground, Obi-Wan and Anakin hijacked two speeders from nearby droids and darted off with Nairbix behind them.

"Sirs, Slick went into the command center." Chopper informed as he and the others in Slick's unit met up with the three officers.

"You guys stay here, seal the perimeter." Spades ordered as they went to the command center. Once they entered the room, they scoped the area hoping to find Slick completely unaware that he was in the air vent above them.

"Pretend you're Slick, what's in your head?" Cody asked.

"My cover's blown, nowhere to go. I'd decide not to take a ship because it's too obvious." Spades said. For a moment, they noticed scruffs on the holo-panel that can only be made by a boot. Cody caught on and jerked his head up to the air vent.

"The lockdown, he wants to get around the lockdown." Spades said hoping Slick would take the bait.

"He's blinded us by taking out the power!" Rex added playing along, "He could disable the entire security system!" As he said this, Cody set his riffle on the panel.

"Yeah, but he knows we'd expect him to do that." He said as Slick removed the vent's cover.

"Or does he?" Rex asked.

"Yeah, we see what you're getting at." Spades added.

"You two go to the south exit." Cody ordered knowing that the trap was about to catch their prey.

"What are you going to do?" Rex asked.

"I'll stay here. Get the power back up. That'll help."

"Got it." Spades replied as he and Rex opened and closed the doors as they stayed behind. Slick then gently jumped down and grabbed the weapon as he aimed it at Cody's head.

"Hey there, Slick." He addressed, "Gun's empty." He said holding the magazine as Rex and Spades pressed theirs against the turncoat's head.

"You know what's funny, traitor?" Rex asked, "We knew you'd never take a chance while the exits were still blocked."

"Looks like we aren't as dumb as you hoped we'd be." Spades added as Cody took and loaded the gun.

"I would have stayed and waited for an opening just like you." Slick growled.

"Don't do a job until you've guaranteed the best odds, right?" Rex asked pressing the gun further.

"You knew I was here." Slick stated lowly.

"Of course we knew, did you really think we wouldn't have a plan?" Spades asked.

"I'm not the traitor…you are!" He cried knocking Rex back and taking his gun. Cody and Spades then tried to grab both him and the weapon. As Cody got him to the ground and began to beat him, Slick continued to rant. "All of you just blindly following orders! For what?! At least I get something out of it in the end!"

"Yeah, I bet they offered you some real shiny coins!" Rex said as he pulled off Slick only to have him get the upper hand and break his leg.

"Yeah, she offered me money." Slick spat, "But she offered me more than that. Something you wouldn't understand. Freedom!" He declared. As he said this, Spades sent him flying with an uppercut and sent him to the ground.

"I think freedom's gonna have to wait for you, kid." He said escorting him out as the three generals found them.

"Slick, it was you?!" Obi-Wan asked in shock.

"He gave us a bit of a chase, sirs." Spades added.

"You couldn't be a bigger disappointment. How could you do this to your brothers?" Anakin asked only to hear Slick scoff.

"Only a Jedi would ask that. It's the Jedi that keep my brothers enslaved!" He spat, "We do your bidding. We serve at your whim. I just wanted something more."

"And all you had to do to get it was put everyone else at risk." Nairbix finished shaking his head.

"I love my brothers, you're too blind to see it." Slick defended, "I was striking a blow for all clones!"

"If you loved your brothers, you wouldn't have put them at risk." Cody retorted as several other clones came to take Slick away.

"You betrayed every one of us." Rex added.

"Take him to lockup." Spades ordered as the clones took Slick away.

"Were you able to salvage anything from the weapons depo?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Slick pretty much scorched the whole thing. Seems like he was going for that all along." Rex replied.

"We managed to secure the heavy cannons, though." Spades threw in.

"That's good, because there are about a thousand battle droids on their way here." Nairbix warned.

"The fight goes on, gentlemen." Anakin added as he and his two friends walked off to contact Coruscant.

 **In case Spades' appearance was a bit confusing, just picture him in the same armor as Rex only with purple and on the other side and his weapons are two gatling pistols. As for the rest of Noise Maker Squad, I'll leave their appearances up to you guys. Meaning, I'm not going to describe their looks that much and I will leave them to your imagination (cue rainbow over forehead). And yes, Sgt. Wool is heavily based off of Mr. Cotton from Pirates of the Caribbean. Now, the next chapters will come at a slower pace considering that I am not done. If anyone has any complaints and compares this story to the last one, I will ignore you. And in my defense, I was already done with that story so I was able to actually finish it within two weeks. This one will undoubtedly take me until next year to finish. Sue me for having a life! Just messing with you.**

 **And one last thing regarding my idea with Mal, should I make her Nairbix's younger sister or his third daughter named after his mother in a future story?**


	18. The Padawan

**Hello, readers! Sorry it's been awhile, but I'm back with a new chapter! Anyway, the next chapter should come up a bit faster since it will be my own plot and not an episode's. What's more, since I've given this Lucasfilms series to Natasha, I plan to add Indiana Jones 1 and 3. 1 will happen during Nairbix's time in Star Wars as a way to reintroduce the Inquisition and 3 will happen when we focus more on the Inquisition after the war and Elsa is born. And to save confusion, the antagonists won't be working for the Nazi's, they will be with the Inquisition. Oh, and I've decided to include Mal from Descendants as Nairbix's little sister.**

 **Anyway, before I put the disclaimer, I'll just let you know there will be another A.N. at the end. Enjoy even though I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, anything Disney or Star Wars.**

After the damage done by Slick, the Republic's forces on Christophsi had a difficult time dealing with the droid army. Two nights after they had contacted Coruscant to send more troops, supplies and resources to aid them, the Jedi on Coruscant had been contacted by Tatooine's crime lord, Jabba the Hut regarding his kidnapped son.

In the Supreme Chancellor's office, he and Jedi Masters, Mace Windu, Plo Koon, and Natasha Romanoff viewed the transmission sent by Jabba as his protocol droid translated. "Jabba requests that anyone that can help us find his kidnapped son send any information they have immediately."

"We must help Jabba." Palpatine declared, "This is the opportunity we've been looking for. The Jedi must rescue his son."

"Hmm, I don't like it, dealing with that criminal scum." Windu growled, "This is a dark day for the Republic."

"I agree, my friend. But what choice do we have?" Palpatine asked as they began to leave the office. "The huts control the outer rim and we'll need their space lanes in order to move our troops." He reminded.

"There is more to this kidnapping than it seems." Natasha added giving her two cents.

"Then you must send as many Jedi as you can!" Palpatine urged.

"Impossible, Chancellor." Windu informed, "General Grievous has spread our forces too thin. The only Jedi that we can spare are Skywalker and Kenobi along with VanSull. They just captured the planet Christophsi."

"Then contact them immediately." Palpatine ordered. Inside the Jedi temple, Yoda, Windu and Natasha contacted the fleet orbiting Christophsi.

"We need to make contact with General Kenobi." Windu informed the fleet's Admiral.

"We've been trying to reach them but their communications are down. We think it's due to a solar storm or they're rebooting their power. I'm sure the blackout is temporary."

"I am bringing a messenger along with myself and troops to Christophsi to aid against any remaining Separatist forces. See to it that we get there are soon as possible." Natasha informed.

"Yes, ma'am. We will depart as soon as you say." The Admiral replied.

"No time there is." Yoda argued, "Immediately Master Romanoff and the messenger must go."

"I understand, sir. I will personally take an unloaded ship to drop the two of them off then return to pick up my reinforcements."

On Christophsi, the droid army was leading an onslaught against the Republic forces. As Obi-Wan, Nairbix and Anakin ran over to aid the clones, Anakin called out the obvious. "They're back!"

"I told you two this victory was too easy. We never should have sent the ship back for supplies." Obi-Wan lectured.

"Well, it wasn't my idea to send the ship back!" Anakin retorted sending a side glare at Nairbix who just shrugged.

"Alright, men. Second wave incoming!" Nairbix hollered, "Spades, you're with me." He said to the clone.

"Rex, same with me." Anakin ordered as they followed the True Master.

"Cody, battle positions." Obi-Wan ordered as all the other clones continued to fire at the droids.

"Skywalker and VanSull should've attacked by now!" Cody said over the explosions and gunfire.

"Don't worry, they know the plan!" Obi-Wan replied as he deflected the bolts with his lightsaber.

"What's our plan of attack, sir?" Rex asked as they watched the battle from up high.

"Follow us." He and Nairbix replied with wicked smirks. The two of them then readied their weapons as they each jumped down and landed on a massive spider droid while the clones used their jetpacks and blasted the overgrown clankers.

"Come on, men!" Obi-Wan cried as he led the charge. As each clone charged at the droids, several of them as expected were shot down. As Anakin and Nairbix deflected the droids' fire, the two spider droids got close enough to shoot each other while the duo sliced their heads before moving onto the next ones.

"We're gonna need reinforcements." Anakin advised as he and Nairbix met up with Obi-Wan.

"We haven't been able to reach the admiral." He replied not taking his eyes off the enemy only to see them retreat.

"They're pulling back?" Nairbix asked as a lone Republic ship flew overhead.

"Looks like help has arrived." Obi-Wan pointed out with R2 coming up behind him. "Our cruiser must be back."

"Which means we'll be getting our reinforcements." Anakin added.

"Then it looks like our problems are solved." Nairbix threw in happily.

"Fresh troops, new supplies and perhaps they've brought my new Padawan with them." Obi-Wan pondered as they walked to the ship.

"You really think it's a good idea to bring a Padawan learner into all of this?" Anakin asked.

"I spoke to Master Yoda about it. You should put in a request for one." He suggested.

"You'd make a pretty good teacher, Anakin." Nairbix added only to hear his friend chuckle and refuse.

"Anakin, teaching is a privilege and it's a part of a Jedi's responsibility to help teach the next generation." Obi-Wan reminded/stressed.

"I'll become a teacher when Nairbix takes on an apprentice of his own." Anakin replied.

"Like anyone could survive training from me." Nairbix joked dryly.

"Besides, a Padawan would just slow me down." As the rear platform of the ship came down, a young female Trorgruta wearing red and white clothes along with Natasha and Wall-E emerged.

"Natasha?" Nairbix asked.

"And a youngling?" Obi-Wan asked.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Anakin asked while R2 beeped happily at the sight of his fellow droid and friend.

"I'm Ashoka, Master Yoda sent me along with Master Romanoff." She replied, "I was sent here to tell the three of you to come back to the Jedi Temple, immediately. There's an emergency."

"So why are you here, Natasha?" Nairbix asked.

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of missing your reactions to the rest of the message." She grinned mischievously causing them all to raise their eyebrows.

"Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but we're in a bit of an emergency right here!" Anakin stressed while Natasha was still trying to control her laughter.

"Communications have been a bit unreliable but we've been calling for help." Obi-Wan added.

"Master Yoda hadn't heard from you, so he sent me to deliver the message." Ashoka replied.

"Great, they don't even know we're in trouble!" Anakin huffed.

"Maybe you could relay a signal through the cruiser that just dropped us off." Ashoka suggested. After doing so, they discovered that they fleet was under attack just before they contacted the temple and saw Yoda's small image.

"Master Kenobi, so glad found you I am." The little master said coming into view.

"Master Yoda, we are trapped here and vastly outnumbered." Obi-Wan explained, "We are in no position to go anywhere or do anything. Our support ships have all been destroyed!" He stressed while the transmission flickered and cut out.

"I guess we'll have to hold out a little longer." Anakin said bluntly.

"Forgive me, young one. It's time we had a proper introduction." Obi-Wan said to Ashoka as Natasha's snickering came back.

"What is wrong with you, today?" Nairbix asked.

"Wait for it." She said as her voice trembled.

"I'm the new Padawan learner, I'm Ashoka Tono." She introduced.

"I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, your new master."

"I'm at your service, Master. But I'm afraid I've been assigned to Master Skywalker." She said which sent Natasha to the ground laughing and crying. Seeing Anakin's face, Nairbix joined in.

"What was that you said earlier, Anakin?" Nairbix asked while he and his secret crush rolled on the ground laughing.

"No, no, no, no there must be some mistake." Anakin argued, "He's the one who wanted the Padawan." He said pointing to a slightly disappointed yet more amused Obi-Wan while Ashoka huffed and crossed her arms.

"No, Master Yoda was very specific." Ashoka debated, "I'm assigned to Anakin Skywalker, and he is to supervise my Jedi training."

"But that doesn't make any sense." Anakin whined in confusion.

"We'll sort this out later." Obi-Wan interrupted, "It won't be long before those droids figure out a way around our cannons."

"I'll check on Rex in the lookout post." Anakin muttered still miffed.

"Don't forget your Padawan." Nairbix teased while Ashoka beamed as her new teacher scowled. Not much later, Jackal had informed Nairbix and the others that the droids were beginning to advance another assault but with the help of a shield generator giving them cover. Once they formulated a plan, the clones, Jedi and Nairbix discussed their next plan of attack.

"The shield generator is somewhere in this area." Obi-Wan informed as everyone looked at the hologram image of the enemy's position.

"It would also appear that they're slowly increasing the diameter and keeping it just ahead of their troops." Natasha added.

"Heavy cannons are going to be useless against that thing." Rex informed.

"As they draw closer, I suppose we could try to draw them into the buildings." Obi-Wan suggested stroking his beard.

"That could work." Nairbix mused, "That actually might level the playing field a bit."

"If that shield's going to be such a problem, why don't we just take it out?" Ashoka asked.

"Easier said than done." Spades said flatly.

"Well, I, for one…agree with her." Anakin said with reluctance, "Someone has to get that shield generator and destroy it. That's the key."

"Right, then." Obi-Wan agreed, "Maybe you two can tiptoe your way through enemy lines and solve this particular problem together." He suggested.

"Can do, Master Kenobi." Ashoka chirped only to have Anakin scold her again.

"I'll decide what we'll do." He hissed.

"If Rex, Spades and I can engage them here, you two might be able to get past their lines here." Obi-Wan suggested as he pointed at the positions.

"Make that four." Natasha corrected, "Just in case the new dynamic duo has issues working together, Nairbix and I will give them back up."

"Alright then, Natasha. If you think that's best." Obi-Wan agreed.

"They won't have much time." Rex interjected, "The droids far outnumber us, so our ability to street-fight is limited without the use of the heavy cannons."

"They'll march forward under the protection of that shield until they're right on top of our cannons and blow them away." Spades added.

"We'll figure out a way." Ashoka said with optimism, "Come on, Master, let's go." She said to Anakin.

"If we survive this, Snips, you and I are going to have a talk." Anakin growled while Nairbix and Natasha went back to snickering at his frustration. From their high look out point, Anakin was scoping out the incoming wave of droids while Ashoka eagerly awaited his plan of attack.

"So, what's the plan?" She asked only to hear her new master laugh.

"Oh, I thought you were the one with the plan." Anakin replied.

"No, I'm the one with the enthusiasm." Ashoka corrected, "You three are the ones with the experience, which I'm looking forward to learning from."

"Figures we'd be added into this." Natasha joked dryly while Nairbix gave her a flat stare.

"That's because you decided to drag the both of us into this." He said dryly.

"I thought they could use some help." Natasha defended.

"I meant coming here in the first place when we were kids, Natasha."

"…Oh." She carried with a blush of embarrassment.

"Anyway," Anakin continued hoping to change the subject while smirking at his friends, "We'll need to get behind that shield, then get past their tank lines."

"Why don't we just go around, outflank them?" Ashoka asked.

"That'd take too long." Anakin said still staring at the droids through his binoculars.

"Sneak through the middle then." She suggested.

"Impossible, unless you can turn yourself into a droid." Natasha replied. For a moment, she and Anakin turned to face Nairbix. His reply was saying nothing as he made an X with his arms above his head in refusal.

"Alright, you guys win." Ashoka huffed while Anakin gained an idea. "My first lesson will be to wait, while you all find an answer."

"Well, the wait's over. I've got a plan." Anakin announced, and his plan was the four of them hide underneath a box with two each as the droids and the shield passed them. Once the shield passed over Obi-Wan and his men, the battle resumed. While the battle raged on, Ashoka and Anakin stood straight up for a moment after the droids passed only to bump into a destroyer.

While it blasted at the two crawling Jedi, Natasha quickly came over to it and crushed its head in her hand. "Déjà vu." She muttered, "Come on, let's go find that generator."

After several minutes of climbing over ruble and debris, they found the crimson geyser of light that was the shield generator. "Stay close." Anakin advised Ashoka, "We got to be careful-"

"Come on." She interrupted as she made her way to the generator.

"Wait!" Nairbix called.

"Why?" She asked still running unaware of the antennae sticking up from the ground. As she ran through them, each of them activated and awoke multiple battle droids.

"Forget about the droids! Set those charges!" Anakin ordered as he and the others slashed at the machines. As Ashoka tried to set the charges, another droid came up from behind her and attempted to crush her. But before it could, she sliced it in two and pushed it away with the Force. However, due to the droid's cylinder head, it rolled over more of the trap droids and activated them.

"Sorry!" Ashoka called wincing at the sight.

"Whose side are you on, anyway?!" Anakin shouted hotly.

"Less talk more droid destroying!" Natasha ordered as she continued to fight the enemies while Ashoka set the charges.

"We could use some help!" Anakin hollered to his Padawan.

"Guys, don't move!" Ashoka advised as she concentrated the Force and brought down the wall behind them.

"What?" Anakin asked before he and his two friends noticed what she was doing. Thankfully, there was a hole in the wall and it happened to land right over the startled trio.

"Argh, you could have gotten us killed!" Anakin shouted while Natasha fearfully clutched a hyperventilating Nairbix.

"I know what I'm doing!" Ashoka retorted.

"We had everything under control!" He shouted back as he stormed past her.

"I just saved your lives!" She snarled.

"Did you set the charges yet?!" Anakin asked.

"Yes." Ashoka replied with a glare.

"Then what are you waiting for?!" He asked. Her reply was simply pressing the button on her wrist-com which caused the charges to explode. And thus, the shield was finally down.

"That certainly became more complicated than it originally should have been." Nairbix said bluntly as his redheaded friend nodded while reinforcements flew over their heads. Off to the side, Ashoka sat on the ruble with shame plastered on her face. Seeing this, the three friends sat down with her.

"You're reckless, little one." Natasha said with a smirk looking up at the sky.

"You never would have made it as Obi-Wan's Padawan." Nairbix added.

"But you might make it as mine." Anakin finished lifting the girl's spirits; after each of them exchanged friendly smiles, a cruiser with Rex and Spades came down and picked them up.

"Good work, Generals." Spades said proudly as they boarded the cruiser.

"You too, kid." Rex added smirking at Ashoka. As the ship landed back at the base to drop the quartet off, Nairbix and Anakin gave their thanks to their troopers before heading over to meet with Obi-Wan and the newly arrived Yoda.

"Master Obi-Wan. Master Yoda." Anakin greeted.

"Hmm, trouble with your new Padawan I hear." Yoda informed while Ashoka looked downcast.

"I was explaining the situation to Master Yoda." Obi-Wan explained.

"Really?" Anakin asked.

"If not ready for a Padawan you are, then perhaps Obi-Wan-"

"Now, wait a minute." Anakin interrupted, "I admit Ashoka is a little rough around the edges. But with a great deal of training and patience she might amount to something." He admitted smirking.

"Then go with the three of you to the Teft system she will." Yoda replied. Hearing this, the party became confused.

"Teft?" Nairbix asked, "But that's wild space the droid army isn't even in that sector."

"Oh, right I forgot to tell you!" Natasha exclaimed as she slapped her forehead, "Jabba the Hutt's son has been kidnapped and he's requested that the Republic assist him in finding his son."

"…Natasha," Nairbix said dryly, "Remember what we talked about concerning your priorities in providing information?"

"No." She replied without hesitation causing the Narnian to pratfall at her response.

"Wait, you want me to rescue Jabba's son?" Anakin asked not believing his ears, the council knew fully well of his past with the Hutts and especially Jabba.

"Anakin, we'll need the Hutts' allegiance to gain an advantage over Dooku." Obi-Wan reminded.

"Negotiate the treaty with Jabba Obi-Wan will." Yoda informed, "Find the renegades that have Jabba's son your mission will be."

"Come on, Master. It doesn't sound that hard." Ashoka said sure of herself, "I'll go get Rex and get the ships organized." She said before darting off.

"Don't worry, Anakin." Obi-Wan said warmly, "Just teach her everything I taught you and she'll turn out fine."

"You know, something makes me think that this was your idea from the start." He said to his old master before walking off.

"Actually, it was Natasha's!" Obi-Wan called back while Anakin looked over at the redheaded master in shock as she started laughing again. After the party left Christophsi, they traveled via star ship to the planet where the location of Jabba's son was discovered. In the ship's hangar, the three friends along with the two droids made their way over to gather information from one of the scouts that arrived from the planet.

"Lieutenant, did the kidnappers see you?" Nairbix asked the clone.

"No, sir. We're the best scouts in the regiment." He replied.

"What about the bounty hunters? Are they still there?" Natasha asked.

"I don't think so. We haven't seen them in a while." The clone responded.

"Well, what are we up against?" Anakin asked, before he answered, the clone pulled out a hologram displaying the monastery that held the huttlet.

"Looks like there's two droid battalions protecting a monastery. It's heavily fortified so you won't be able to land there."

"Good work, men. Get some rest." Nairbix dismissed. As they walked back to the ships, they spotted Ashoka trying to impress the clones with a story.

"That sounds like a lot, even for a Jedi." Dars said to the Padawan.

"I heard you were surrounded by droids. How did you ever get the shield down?" L asked.

"Okay, so there's a wall behind them with a hole in the middle. So I pull the wall down on top of the droids, destroying them all and saving the generals." Ashoka told proudly while the clones laughed.

"Is that true, sir?" Spades asked Nairbix.

"Well, most of it." He admitted with a smirk while the droids gave their own form of laughter.

"Would this be a good time to remind you that a Jedi is humble, my young Padawan?" Anakin asked with a grin.

"Sorry. Just trying to keep the boys inspired, is all." Ashoka replied still smiling. Later on as the party and the battalion of clones flew down to the planet, Obi-Wan sent them a message explaining the situation.

"Alright, here's the story." The Jedi began, "Jabba has given us only one planetary rotation to get his son back to Tatooine safe and sound."

"Won't take us that long, Master." Anakin replied while he, Natasha and Ashoka had their hoods and cloaks on.

"Well, take extreme care." Obi-Wan advised, "We have no idea who's holding Jabba's son. When I finish negotiations with him, I will join all of you."

From the highest point of the monastery, a group of droids were scouting the perimeter. One of them spotted the group of cruisers in the distance but couldn't make them out.

"There's something coming." It said in its high silly voice, "I can't make out what it is."

"I don't like it. Prepare to fire." A commanding droid ordered.

"What if it's one of ours?" The first droid asked.

"Shut up, Sergeant! I'm in command here."

"Roger, roger." The droid replied. Back in the cruiser, Anakin gave some helpful advice to his new student just before the battle began.

"Just stay close to us, if you can." He teased.

"It won't be a problem, Master." Ashoka joked dryly.

"This isn't practice, Ashoka." Natasha reminded sternly.

"I know. And I'll try not to get you guys killed." She said just before the droids started firing at the ships.

"Sirs, we're taking heavy fire." The pilot informed.

"Close the blast shields. Get us under those guns." Nairbix ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

"Here we go." Ashoka said coolly as the blast shields closed.

"Rex, your com's got static." Spades warned.

"Got it." He replied, "Red light. Stand by." He ordered as the clones readied themselves.

"Welcome to paradise, you sorry bastards." Natasha announced as the ship landed and the doors opened. As soon as they did open and the light went green, everyone save for Ashoka who hesitated immediately jumped out fully ready for battle.

While the clones were blasting away the droids and the Jedi were cutting them to ribbons, Nairbix was doing a combination of both as he sliced and fired his Dark Volley Shotlock.

"Nairbix!" Natasha shouted over the sounds of the battle, "Concentrate your attacks on sector 1137-2465!"

"…1137…what was that again?" He asked in confusion.

"Just fire right there!" Anakin informed as he pointed to the target. After most of them safely made it to the base of the mountain that carried the monastery, they waited for the proper moment to continue.

"So, this is where the fun begins." Ashoka said bluntly.

"Race you to the top." Anakin offered to his three companions.

"I'll give each of you a head start." Ashoka replied playfully.

"Your mistake." Anakin said clearly having fun before climbing up the mountain side. As he did things the old fashioned way, Natasha made things interesting and literally ran up the mountain with Nairbix doing the same.

He then noticed the numerous droids firing at them, the clones and the walkers and grew a wicked grin. From his back, he let loose a wave of destructive darkness that took care of several battle droids. To his left, a group of droids on speeders came charging over. With his wicked smirk still showing, he swung his fist in the air and created a massive fist made of darkness and magic.

While this was going on, Ashoka who was on top of a walker's face was struggling to keep her balance as more droids on speeders attacked. Seeing this, Anakin leapt down and sliced the heads off of each droid and hijacked the last one.

"Try to keep up!" He called to his Padawan as he zoomed on ahead.

"Hey, no fair!" She shouted in protest. At the base of the monastery, Nairbix managed to arrive just before the others and landed in a kneeling position. As the droids surrounded him, his eyes snapped open reveling his blazing eyes before he eradicated the machines.

"I love this job!" He said darkly with an added insane growl as his friends arrived. "Well, it's about time you three showed up." He teased.

"Show off." They said bluntly as they glared at the True Master as the clones joined them. "Too many droids for them to be renegades." Natasha stated, "I sense Count Dooku's hand in this."

"As do I." Anakin agreed, "Let's find Jabba's son and get out of here."

"No problem, the hard part's over." Ashoka jinxed.

"You really shouldn't have said that, Snips." Nairbix sighed with dread as they entered the monastery.

"I don't like this place. It gives me the creeps." Spades said to no one in particular.

"This looks like one of those B'omar monk monasteries that I read about in my studies at the temple." Ashoka said giving her two cents.

"Smugglers take these monasteries over to turn them into their own personal retreats." Anakin explained as they ventured further into the dark building.

"And the monks just let them?" Ashoka asked.

"Smugglers usually get what they want, one way or another." Natasha replied as something caused a clattering noise. It was just a simple lost protocol droid.

"Uh, good guy or bad guy, Master?" Ashoka asked while everyone readied their weapons.

"Who are you?" Natasha asked.

"Merely the mighty care taker, oh, mighty ones." It replied, "You have liberated me from those awful battle droids. I am most thankful."

"Where is the Hutt?" Anakin asked hotly.

"The battle droids kept their prisoners on the detention level. I must warn you, it is very dangerous down there, my friends. Not a pleasant place for a servant girl." It said gesturing to Ashoka.

"Do servant girls carry these?" She asked hotly as she ignited her weapon, "I am a Jedi knight." Hearing this, Anakin and Natasha gave her a set of disapproving looks. "Or soon will be." She corrected.

"A thousand apologies, young one." The droid said to her as she walked past it.

"Captain, Colonel, we'll get the Hutt. Stay here. Keep your eyes open." Anakin ordered the two commanding officers.

"Copy that, sir." They said in unison.

In the depths of the detention level, the party made their way through the halls fully aware of the hidden droids. "Masters, you know that we're walking into a trap." Ashoka pointed out.

"We know." They replied just before Nairbix's face scrunched.

"Ugh, we're almost there. The smell is getting even worse than when we got on this planet."

"We just passed two more droids." She stressed.

"We know." The trio repeated.

"Well, I don't like it. Can't I just take care of them?" Ashoka asked.

"If you feel so strongly about it, go ahead." Natasha replied with a smirk as the Padawan quickly took them out.

"Not bad. You even remembered to take out their weapons first." Anakin praised.

"I'm improving your technique." She replied as he ever so skillfully stabbed a droid behind him without even looking.

"Of course, you did miss one." He added smugly.

"Check for corners, rookie." Natasha threw in as they walked past her

"I…did that on purpose." She defended bashfully as they reached the designated door.

"I sense our kidnapped Hutt is in here." Anakin sated as Ashoka's face scrunched in disgust.

"Ew." She groaned, "I smell him too." As Natasha used the Force to open the door, everyone saw the young, stinging, green, tadpole-like creature making some sort of moan/cooing noise.

"He's a lot younger than I thought he'd be." Anakin said bluntly as they all stared at the Hutt.

"Aw, he's just a baby." Ashoka cooed, "This will make our job a lot easier. Oh, he's so cute!"

"Just wait until you see what he'll grow into." Anakin added with a slight glare.

"Huh." Natasha stated as she folded her arms and looked at the Huttling.

"What is it?" Nairbix asked.

"Nothing. He just looks an awful lot like Jumba to me." She replied.

"He looks nothing like Jumba!" Nairbix defended on his brother's behalf.

"Masters," Ashoka addressed, "My Jedi training didn't prepare me for this. What do we do?"

"Well, since you think that smelly larva is cute, you're gonna carry it." Anakin replied with a smirk as the little Hutt began to cry. As they walked out of the monastery, Anakin continued to tease his Padawan. "So how do you like our little friend now?"

"Still cute?" Natasha asked.

"No. He's reminding me of you guys more and more." Ashoka retorted as the little stinker cooed at them. "See? You're four of a kind."

"Maybe you should carry all of us then." Nairbix suggested as the Hutt began to whine and cough.

"Masters, I think this little guy is sick. He's burning up with a fever." She informed as Nairbix checked his head.

"You're right. Here, hand him to me." He advised as the Padawan passed the little thing. After glancing at the whining Hutt, Nairbix held his right hand over his face and recited a spell. "Curgara." He said as a green magical light engulfed the Huttling; in a matter of seconds, it was showing signs of being better.

"Nice work, but he'll get in the way if we continue to carry him like this. Trooper, get me a backpack!" Anakin ordered. As soon as they received it, they began to stuff the squealing alien into the backpack.

"Will you just let me do it?" Ashoka asked hotly as Jabba's son struggled.

"I hate Hutts." Anakin growled.

"Wall-E!" Natasha called out for her droid who happily wheeled over to them, "Contact Obi-Wan. We need to tell him we found the Hutt." The little droid complied and brought up a hologram of the Jedi.

"Natasha, did you find Jabba's son?" He asked.

"We have him. But it looks like the Separatists are behind his abduction." She replied.

"Smells like Count Dooku to me." Nairbix threw in.

"I think its little Stinky you smell." Ashoka whispered.

"I'd wager that Dooku is using us to get Jabba to join the Separatists." Natasha informed.

"As would I." Obi-Wan agreed.

"I still think working with the Hutts is a bad idea." Anakin added.

"Anakin, you know they control the shipping routes throughout the Outer Rim. Jabba's support is crucial to the war effort. If you let anything happen to his son, our chances of a treaty with him will disappear." Obi-Wan reminded just as droid reinforcement ships arrived.

"Masters, we've got trouble." Ashoka said pointing out the obvious.

"Defensive positions!" Spades ordered the troopers.

"Anakin?"

"I'll have to call you back, Master. We're under attack. We could use a little help here, if you have the time."

"I'll get there as soon as I can. Protect the Hutt, Anakin." He said as the transmission ended. As the droids began to surround the monastery and attack the clones, Anakin ordered Ashoka to get inside with the Hutt with R2 and Wall-E at her heels.

"Fall back!" Nairbix ordered as the survivors got behind the closing metal door.

"Spades, Rex, wait here until General Kenobi arrives with reinforcements." Anakin ordered while he gained a strange look from Ashoka. "What?" He asked.

"Master, do you really think we can hold them off?" She asked in disbelief, "We've got to find a way out." She stressed.

"Our mandate is to protect this Hutt and that's what we're going to do, Ashoka." Natasha reminded sternly.

"Our mandate was to get this Hutt back to Tatooine, and time is running out." She corrected.

"Then, I suppose you have a plan?" Nairbix asked.

"Yes." She replied looking at R2 and Wall-E. "Or I think so. R2 and Wall-E willing."

"All right, Snips, we'll trust you on this one." Anakin replied.

"Spades, you and Rex hold them here as long as you can." Nairbix said to the Colonel.

"Will do, sir." Spades replied, "You heard the general! Get ready to turn those clankers into scrap metal!" He shouted to the troopers.

In another area of the monastery, the party began to search for another way out with the assistance of the two droids. "If there's another way out of here, these little guys will find it." Ashoka said as R2 and Wall-E began to search through the building's computer.

"Finally asleep, huh?" Nairbix asked glancing at Jabba's son, "Best to put him down and get some rest yourself. You've had a long day, little one." He said to Ashoka.

"I can hold him, Master Nairbix. I'm not tired." Ashoka replied.

"I'm sure you can. But there's no reason to waste your strength with a simple task. And by the way, since I'm not a Jedi, you don't need to call me 'Master'; Nairbix will do just fine." He informed with a smirk as he ruffled her head.

"Even so, you ought to listen to him as though he were your master, Ashoka." Anakin informed, "Nairbix's been at this sort of thing a lot longer than any of us and can give you valuable lessons. Even when he doesn't mean to." He said with a grateful smile to his friend; clearly he was thinking about the punch he received back on Geonosis.

"I know, Master. I just don't want to be treated like a youngling anymore." Ashoka confessed.

"You must have patience." Anakin reminded, "What are you trying to prove anyway?"

"That I'm not too young to be your Padawan." She admitted.

"Ashoka," Anakin began gently, "A very wise Jedi once said, 'Nothing happens by accident.' It is the will of the Force that you're at my side. I just want to keep you there in one piece."

"And so do we." Natasha added with a warm smile while Nairbix nodded. Seeing and hearing all of this, Ashoka relaxed and sat the backpack down onto the floor. But the touching scene was quickly interrupted by a loud explosion and tremor.

"That doesn't sound good." Natasha said bluntly just as R2 and Wall-E alerted them all. R2 then pulled up a hologram of the monastery with a red shaded area showing the way out as Wall-E anxiously pointed at it.

"A backdoor landing platform." Ashoka clarified.

"We'll call for a gunship when we get there. Wall-E, R2, lead the way." Anakin urged.

"Guys, wait." Nairbix said to them, "Where's Stinky?" He asked seeing that the Hutt was missing.

"You guys told me to put him down!" Ashoka reminded before his gurgling could be heard from underneath a bench.

"Come out of there, you grubby little slug." Anakin growled as he yanked Stinky out by the tail. "Let's see you get away this time." He said as he put the cooing baby back in the bag just before Rex contacted him.

"Anakin, come in." He said confusing them all.

"Anakin?" The other three questioned.

"We've held the droids, sir. What is your location?" He asked.

"That's not like Rex." Anakin mentioned.

"Ventress." Nairbix concluded.

"Dooku's assassin?" Ashoka asked.

"She's here to kill the Hutt." Natasha realized, "Come on."

Once they reached the platform, they were able to see that their reinforcements were engaging the droids. "Skywalker to Obi-Wan, mark my position." Anakin said to his former teacher via com-link, "We need a ship immediately. Do you copy?"

"Anakin, do you read me?" Obi-Wan asked over the explosions all around him just before the transmission cut out.

"I can't get a hold of Obi-Wan." Anakin informed, "I'll see if I can find Rex."

"I'll try Spades." Nairbix added. At the front entrance, Rex, Spades and the other surviving clones were being held hostage by the droids.

"What is that?" A droid asked as it heard Anakin's voice come from Rex's com-link.

"It's coming from the prisoner." Another droid said as they got closer to the captain.

"Let me show you how it works, clankers." Rex growled before pulling a droid in as a shield and took its weapon. This then set in motion the clones counter attack.

"Captain Rex, respond." Anakin ordered.

"I read you, General. We're pinned down in the courtyard."

"Do you need help?" His reply was the sound of rapid fire over the transmission. "I'll take that as a yes, Captain. Standby, we're on our way. Skywalker out."

Just as he ended the transmission, two Destroyer droids rolled their way over to the party. "Great, rolling death balls." Ashoka groaned as they began to fire.

"Wall-E, get the door!" Natasha ordered as she and the others blocked the droids' attacks. Just before the little droid closed the door, Ventress came into view; once the door was closed, Ventress's lightsabers pierced it and began to carve out an opening.

"I think now may be a good time for a retreat." Anakin suggested slightly nervous.

"Retreat? That's a new word for you." Ashoka remarked.

"You guys head for the jungle. I'll hold off Ventress." Nairbix declared as he dismissed his Keyblade. "Oh, I've been itching to try this one out." He mumbled excitedly. He then dropped both his arms to his sides and flexed his hands which created two pinkish-orange blades that looked identical to lightsaber blades.

As he eagerly awaited his opponent, the three Jedi noticed another landing platform in the distance with a ship on it. "So how are we going to get over there?" Ashoka asked.

"Leave that to us." Natasha and Anakin said before they jumped off and hitched a ride on two large insects.

"I hope I don't have to learn that." Ashoka muttered in disgust. As this happened, Ventress finally made her way out of the makeshift entrance and stared down Nairbix.

"Where is Skywalker, VanSull?" She asked threateningly.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He mocked before rushing in to attack the assassin. As they both skillfully landed strikes on each other's blades, the droids below them continued to fire at the platform which quickly destroyed it and allowed Nairbix and the two droids to escape.

"Count Dooku demands a report on your mission." A battle droid alerted Ventress from the hole in the door. "Should I tell him they got away or what?" It asked stupidly. In retaliation, Ventress used the Force to throw the unfortunate droid over the mountain side.

As the party reached the other platform, they all looked at the available ship in disappointment. "We're taking this junker?" Ashoka asked, "We'd be better off on that big bug."

"Get on board and prime the engines." Anakin told her.

"Assuming it has engines." Natasha mumbled, "By the way, how'd it go with that technique you were wanting to try out?" She asked Nairbix.

"Well, let's just say, I'll leave the laser blade combat to you guys." He admitted as they walked over to the ship. They then noticed the caretaker droid from before and saw that it was working with other battle droids.

"She's at it again." Anakin remarked as he saw his Padawan take out the clankers. Once they were all taken care of, they boarded the ship. "Now let's get Stinky out of here." He said eagerly as he tried to start the ship. "Uh, if we can." He said with less enthusiasm while Ashoka groaned and the baby cried.

"Don't worry, Snips." Natasha reassured, "Wall-E, see if you can spark the ignition couplers." Wall-E did as he was told but to no avail.

"No, that's not it." Anakin said to no one in particular, "Try opening the fuel lifters all the way." He suggested which gained immediate results.

"Good work, buddy." Natasha said fondly to her droid as the ship took off. As they were soaring through the sky and clouds, they found themselves entering an air battle between the two opposing forces.

"Well, things just got a lot harder." Nairbix bluntly commented.

"All we've got to do is land on that Jedi cruiser." Anakin informed.

"But the deflector shields are up!" Ashoka warned as the cruiser fired at them, "They must think this grease bucket is an enemy ship."

"Jedi cruiser, hold your fire." Natasha alerted over an open channel.

"Incoming ship, identify yourself." A clone demanded from the ship, "Repeat, identify yourself."

"This is General Romanoff with Generals VanSull and Skywalker; we have Jabba the Hutt's son." She replied, "We must board immediately."

"Stand by."

"Stand by? That's helpful." Ashoka said sarcastically.

"General Romanoff, we think we can lower the shields for you in the southern entrance bay." A clone informed over the channel.

"We're on our way." Anakin replied as they flew to the hangar.

"We've made it. We've made it!" Ashoka cheered. Just then, three aircraft droids zoomed into the hangar and caused a massive explosion.

"General Romanoff, abort! Abort!" The clone shouted as the explosion took him, his brothers and the hangar as well as the party's chance.

"That changes our plans." Anakin pointed out bluntly.

"Looks like we're going to have to take this bucket of bolts all the way to Tatooine." Nairbix said not liking the situation.

"We're clear to make the jump to hyperspace." Anakin announced, "R2, program the navicomputer. Let's go." He said as they all saw the breathtaking sight of the stars dragging just before the jump.

"Alright, Tatooine, here we come." Nairbix sighed in relief.

"It'll be weird to go back to that old sand box." Natasha chuckled.

"Hmph, you're telling me." Anakin added as he tinkered with the ship's control panel.

"You grew up on Tatooine, right?" Ashoka asked Anakin, "So this must be like a trip home for you."

"Yeah, it's also where I met these three and Obi-Wan." He replied gesturing to Nairbix, Natasha and Wall-E.

"Yeah, hard to believe that happened all those years ago." Natasha said wistfully, "I remember how disappointed Nairbix was when he missed his chance to convince you, Anakin."

"Convince me?" Anakin asked, "For what?"

"Nairbix thought that you had what it took to become a wielder of the Keyblade when we first met you." She replied.

"You did?" Anakin asked his old friend who simply nodded, "What changed your mind?"

"Nothing. The only thing that stopped me from preforming the ceremony to see if you could wield a Keyblade was that you decided to become a Jedi. Qui-Gon beat me to it. Sneaky old fox." Nairbix said in memory of his old friend.

"So what would you have done to see if I could?" Anakin asked clearly interested at what could have been.

"It's nothing special." Natasha waved off causing Nairbix to comically fall out of his chair. "All he would have done was recite an old poem and see if you could hold his Keyblade without it flashing back to him."

"Really, that's it?" Anakin asked chuckling at his friend's expression.

"It's not 'nothing special,' Natasha!" Nairbix retorted, "It's a sacred ceremony that marks the beginning of the lifetime journey that we wielders of the Keyblade take when the wielder's master take them on as their student!"

"Maybe, but your master never did that with you." She reminded smugly, "You already forged your Keyblade nearly a year before you met him. Not to mention, the first time you used it, it was when you and your mother cursed a baby."

"You did what?!" Ashoka and Anakin asked in disbelief.

"It's a long story." Nairbix replied, "Besides that, Aurora was given a better life since she wasn't and still isn't being raised by Stefan. Not to mention, I knew fully well even then that my mother's curse would also affect her since she also cursed Aurora to be beloved by all who meet her. So, nah!" He exclaimed while making a weird face in Natasha's ending the argument.

"How's Stinky holding up?" Anakin asked as they reached Tatooine.

"He seems alright." Ashoka replied as she glanced at the sleeping baby. "Even you have to admit, he's cute when he's asleep."

"I admit I like him when he's quiet. But only a little." The Jedi replied while two attack ships came up on their rear.

"Looks like someone doesn't want Stinky to make it home in one piece." Nairbix said bluntly as the ships blasted the ship.

"This is going to be bumpy." Natasha said gripping her seat, "Ashoka, activate the guns."

"All the guns are locked in the forward position." She replied, "It's too bad you decided not to repair the rear deflector shields." She said to Anakin.

"Not now, Ashoka." He growled, "R2, see if you can unlock those guns." He said to the droid.

"Sometimes a good defense is the best offense." Ashoka argued.

"Why don't you go secure your little Huttlet friend?" Anakin asked.

"None of us are secure with you flying." Nairbix groaned as his face began to turn green while Anakin took a nose dive which knocked everyone out of their seats; including Stinky who began to cry.

"Great, you woke the baby!" Natasha said hotly over the screeching.

"Got one!" Anakin cheered after he blasted a ship.

"What about the other one?" Ashoka asked.

"One thing at a time." Anakin replied as the other ship took out their tail.

"Good call on not repairing the shields, Anakin." Natasha said with sarcasm.

"R2, turn those guns around!" Anakin repeated, "R2?!"

"Why can't you be a tiny little mouse droid?" Ashoka grunted as she pushed R2 over to the console.

"Shoot it, R2!" Natasha begged only to see the little droid succeed.

"Good shot, buddy. You've been holding out on us." Anakin complemented before his and the other Jedi's faces scrunched in disgust.

"What is that Force awful smell?!" Natasha asked.

"…Sorry." Nairbix groaned with his face still green as he wiped his mouth against his sleeve.

"Obi-Wan, do you copy?" Anakin asked as he contacted the Jedi.

"Kenobi here." He replied as his hologram appeared.

"We're in a bit of trouble and we need-"

"Anakin, did you get shot down again?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes." The other three replied.

"The ship is too slow." Anakin defended.

"I'm still cleaning up your other mess. But, I'll get there." Obi-Wan informed before ending the transmission.

"So much for our reinforcements." Natasha stated bluntly.

"Hold on." Anakin warned, "This landing may get a little rough."

"Crashes are rough. Landings aren't." Nairbix reminded.

"Then it's a crash landing, Nairbix." Anakin retorted through his teeth; and sure enough, it was indeed a crash landing. As the party opened the rear door and looked out to the vast desert, Ashoka cradled Stinky and welcomed him home.

"Jabba's palace is on the far side of the dune sea." Anakin informed, "We better hurry if we're going to make it by morning." And with that, the party ventured into the endless desert of Tatooine. Later that day, Ashoka began to start up a conversation.

"Master Yoda has a saying: Old sins cast long shadows. Do you know what he means by that?" She asked.

"He means your past can ruin your future if you allow it." Natasha replied.

"But you forget, it was Master Skywalker who said: I don't want to talk about my past." Anakin reminded sternly.

"Alright, I get it." Ashoka said raising her hands in surrender. "Nairbix?" She asked with hope.

"Not a chance, Snips."

"Fine. There's so much more we can talk about out here. Like the sand." Ashoka joked, however, Anakin didn't take it as one.

"The desert is merciless." He said flatly, "It takes everything from you."

"That's a happy thought." Ashoka replied still thinking it was a joke even when Natasha put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.

"It won't take us. Right, Artooey?" Ashoka asked the droid who beeped merrily. As the day continued and the suns began to set, they all stopped as they felt a disturbing presence.

"We're not alone." Ashoka alerted.

"I sense it too." Anakin informed.

"It's the dark side of the Force." Natasha finished.

"My guess is that it's Dooku." Nairbix offered.

"Whatever it is, it's coming for the Hutt. Time to split up." Anakin decided.

"We'll face it together, Master." Ashoka said with determination.

"Not this time, Snips." Natasha denied, "We have a far more important mission for you."

"More important than keeping Skyguy alive?" She asked.

"Ashoka, I need you to trust us on this one." Anakin said seriously.

"He's right. Besides, I'll be going with him to give him back up while you and Natasha take care of the rest." Nairbix further explained.

"I'll be fine on my own, Nairbix." Anakin argued gently which earned dry looks from him and Natasha.

"Uh-huh, and how well exactly did your last confrontation with Dooku go?" Nairbix asked making several hand gestures with his right hand and arm.

"Yeah, if I remember correctly," Natasha added using her right hand and arm to infer their point, "Didn't you lose something of yours that day because you took on Dooku alone?"

"Alright, I get it!" Anakin exclaimed in annoyance, "Nairbix will come with me and make sure I don't lose another limb. Happy now?" He asked turning to the duo before telling them his plan. After night fell and the party split up, Nairbix and Anakin saw the cloaked Sith Lord ride to them on a speeder.

"Surrender the Huttlet or die, Skywalker." Dooku ordered as Anakin who was carrying the backpack ignited his lightsaber and as Nairbix summoned his Keyblade. Dooku then sent out a blast of Force lightning which was deflected by Anakin's lightsaber and challenged by Nairbix's black lightning.

Seeing the method was bearing fruitless, Dooku then ignited his own crimson lightsaber and skillfully took on the duo. "Your training has come a long way, boy." He said to Anakin who grew angry. "Ah, now I remember." Dooku stated hoping to further agitate the Jedi. "This was your home planet, wasn't it? I sense your strong feelings. Feelings of pain, loss."

Having enough of the banter, Anakin used the Force to send a wave of sand at the count only for him to send an even more powerful wave right back at him sending him back several feet and knocking his lightsaber away.

Just as Dooku was about to finish Anakin off, Nairbix quickly got in the way and shrugged Dooku off of his weapon. As this happened, Anakin got back into the fight but allowed Dooku to slice the backpack with his lightsaber.

"You've failed, my friends." Dooku said to them thinking his achieved victory, "I have just killed Jabba's son."

"You've fallen for our little trick, Count." Anakin said smugly as he tossed the backpack filled with rocks away.

"But you did succeed in taking out some innocent rocks." Nairbix teased.

"The Huttlet is with my Padawan and Master Romanoff safely at Jabba's palace." Anakin added.

"I expected such treachery from a Jedi." Dooku replied, "I assure you, my web is strong enough to catch your insignificant little Padawan and Romanoff."

"They're more skillful than you think." They retorted.

"You deceive yourselves!" Dooku shouted as he engaged the duo once more. As Natasha and Ashoka along with Stinky and the two droids reached the palace, three of Dooku's battle droids armed with laser staffs sprang from the ground.

As the fight between Dooku and the other duo continued, the Sith pulled out a hologram of Ashoka and Natasha struggling with his droids. "After my droids kill Jabba's son, they will deliver your friends to him for punishment for the Huttlet's murder. I can't imagine he will be merciful." He taunted.

Realizing that he was right, the two friends dashed away to the Hutt's palace in hopes to save their friends should they fail. As the two men made their way to the female members of the party, the two girls held their own against the droids.

"Argh, we don't have time for this!" Natasha shouted before using the Force to crush the three clankers together; as soon as she did this, the remaining members of the party joined them. "Excellent timing as usual, boys." Natasha teased.

"Less talk more returning the Huttlet." Anakin replied as they made their way to the door.

"…I knew that remark I gave him would come back to haunt me." She thought bluntly to herself. As they entered the palace, they finally came face to face with Jabba the Hutt. The best way to describe him would be to compare him to a massive green slug with arms and a terrible odor. At the sight of his son, Jabba began to cheer happily as he cradled the baby; in his own language, he gave an angry order that was translated by his protocol droid.

"You are to be executed immediately." The droid translated.

"What?!" They all asked in shock as Jabba's assassins surrounded them.

"Does this always happen to you guys?" Ashoka asked bitterly.

"Everywhere we go." They replied just before the crime lord received a transmission.

"Your uncle Ziro is calling." The droid informed, as it activated the hologram, an image of Padme of all people came into view.

"Greetings, mighty Jabba. I am Senator Amidala of the Galactic Congress." She greeted, "I've discovered a plot against you by one of your own."

"Does anyone else feel like we missed something?" Nairbix mumbled to his friends who shushed him.

"Your uncle will admit he conspired with Count Dooku to kidnap your son and frame the Jedi for the crime." Padme continued before showing another Hutt who looked extremely guilty. After a quick exchange in Huttenese, Ziro confessed that it was Count Dooku behind the whole thing. Switching back to Padme, she continued her speech.

"Perhaps now, you will allow the Republic to use your trade routes and hostilities can come to an end." Padme offered only to see the Hutt laugh.

"Jabba agrees." The droid clarified, "A treaty is in order. The clone armies may move through Jabba's territories."

"Senator," Anakin began, "You have my undying gratitude."

"No, Master Skywalker, it is I and the Republic who owes you thanks." Padme replied before ending the transmission.

"Jabba would be most appreciative if you bring Count Dooku to justice for his crimes against the Hutts." The droid informed.

"You can count on it, Jabba." Anakin replied.

"If that pun was intended, I'll murder him." Natasha whispered bluntly to Nairbix who nodded in agreement.

 **I know, that was a blunt way to end it but I couldn't think of anything else. Anyway, the next chapter should come up a bit faster since it will be my own plot and not an episode's.**


	19. Experiment Fiasco!

**Told you guys this one would be posted soon. Anyway, this chapter is a bit short and is just a funny filler involving several of Jumba's experiments. The next chapter, well, I haven't decided what it will be just yet. I'm not sure whether or not it should be the Indiana Jones movie or season 1 episode eleven from clone wars. Oh, and another heads up, I counted the number of episodes I plan to use. We're talking 54 or possibly 56. Yes, I know that's a lot, but I find them to be the most necessary in this story. And so far, along with these episodes, I plan to use the first and third Indiana movies, Revenge of the Sith and some more bits from the Maleficent movie and The Three Musketeers.**

 **This may change with more movies added in the future, but for the time being, these are absolute. And no, I will not post the first Narnia movie again, the chapter that will have him say he's going back will have that part at the end and after that it will skip to where he comes back to the tower with little baby Elsa to show the others. Like in Tarzan with Kala when she shows everyone baby Tarzan.**

 **Any who, long A.N. short, as always I don't own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, anything Disney, Marvel (for Natasha) or Star Wars. Enjoy!**

Time passed as always and the war continued. Thanks to the brave actions of the previous party, the Republic was able to gain an upper hand over the Separatists in the Outer Rim. Today's (mis)adventure, however, was taking place in the Jedi temple on Coruscant. As Nairbix, Natasha, Anakin, Ashoka and Obi-Wan walked through the halls, Nairbix was having an in-depth conversation with them.

"And when the golden solid brick mixes with the creamy surrounding…it becomes a masterpiece." He said choking up with proud tears.

"Look, Nairbix." Anakin began gently, "It sounds amazing, it really does; but to me it sounds like any other type of sweet."

"Toffee is the perfect sustenance!" Nairbix retorted, "Not even the nectar and ambrosia of the gods of old mixed together can compare to it." He said dramatically.

"I'm sure it is, old friend." Obi-Wan chuckled.

"Geez, Nairbix. You act like this toffee stuff is the first thing you ever ate." Ashoka teased.

"It was." Nairbix replied shocking everyone including Natasha. "Well, technically, the first thing I ate was a berry that tasted like toffee; but it did come from a tree that was grown from a piece of toffee from my home world."

"Nairbix…you really are a strange one." Obi-Wan commented only to see his friend beam.

"Thank you." He replied with a curt nod. Just then in a flash of light, a small box appeared right in front of them. Everyone was on guard but it was Natasha who went over to inspect it. Using the Force to pick it, she read who it was addressed to.

"This is addressed to you, Nairbix. And it's from our galaxy."

"Really?" He asked as he examined it, "It's from Jumba." He informed.

"Who's Jumba?" Ashoka asked, "I feel like I heard you mention that name before."

"He's my brother. He considers himself an evil genius scientist. Quite frankly, what he considers evil is pretty much mischievous. His specialty is making-experiment pods!" Nairbix shouted as he opened the box to find multiple different colored and numbered pods.

"What exactly are these experiment pods?" Anakin asked.

"They're dehydrated pod forms of my brother's genetic experiments. He gathers multiple sources of DNA and combines them to create an entirely new creature. Last I checked, he was about to reach the six-hundreds." Nairbix informed.

"So, when you say dehydrated…" Anakin carried.

"I mean that as long as not even a single drop of anything liquid gets on one of these pods, they won't activate and unleash the experiment." Nairbix replied as Ashoka picked out a green pod and examined it.

"So, what exactly do they do?" She asked.

"Each one has its own primary function to carry out what my brother would consider evil. Each one is different in every way except for that they are all indestructible and have the intellect of a supercomputer. In my opinion, the worst one he ever created was Experiment 254." He said before shuddering at the memory of his the last time he came across the experiment.

"Is that one bad?" Ashoka asked.

"Is that one bad?" Nairbix repeated as the memory began to fill his mind. "Ah! No! No flashback!" He shouted in fear.

"Hey, Snips," Anakin started, "Doesn't the one you have say 254?"

After that was said, it was completely quite throughout the hall. Nairbix then crouched down on the floor and began to rock back and forth in a Fedele position. "Find a happy place. Find a happy place. Find a happy place." Nairbix muttered in fear.

"Relax, Nairbix. It's not like one of us is just gonna sneeze on it or anything." Anakin said as he did something no one expected. Have you ever noticed that when you talk sometimes and you press your tongue back a certain way it causes saliva to be squirted out of your mouth? Well, that's what happened to Anakin and it flew right at the experiment pod.

But just before it could activate, Natasha pulled it to her with the Force and held it between her right thumb and index finger near her head. "Looks like I saved the day once again, huh, guys?" She asked with a proud grin just before she sneezed on it.

"No!" Nairbix cried as the pod began to activate; as the pod grew into a bright yellow sphere of light, a flash blinded the group of friends before they could see the experiment. Once their eyes adjusted, they all saw 254 and only Nairbix looked at it in horror.

It was a small pink alien with big eyes and an even bigger pink head; its body was very small and its arms and legs were short. It had no teeth and it made a cute little gurgled purring sound; all in all, it was cute like a plushy toy.

"Aw!" Natasha and Ashoka cooed at the experiment.

"This is the experiment that you're so afraid of?" Obi-Wan asked his sweating and paler than usual friend who nodded rapidly. As the girls were smothering and cuddling the pink monstrosity, it noticed Nairbix and eagerly jumped down to embrace one of its creators. But Nairbix quickly threw it away only to be caught by Natasha.

"Nairbix, what's wrong with you?!" She shouted.

"You don't know what it will do!" Nairbix shouted back pointing a shaky finger at 254.

"Then enlighten us, Nairbix." Anakin demanded as he crossed his arms.

"254's primary function is…is…it's a living stink bomb!" He shrieked while the others gave him blank stares.

"…That's why you're afraid of this little guy?" Ashoka deadpanned, "He doesn't even smell." She defended.

"Oh, but he will. Jumba designed 254 to be so cute, that entire civilizations would be rendered helpless at the mere sight of him and take him in. After thirty-six hours from activation, 254 will emit an odor so foul, so terrible it will spread throughout the planet and ruin the atmosphere with his stench." Nairbix explained.

"Mickey and I helped Jumba create nearly every experiment he made since we met; so I know how terrible this little guy will smell! And you guys know how powerful my sense of smell is!" He exclaimed.

"Point taken." Natasha agreed, "But he's so cute! And you said he'll start to stink after thirty-six hours; so, why don't we keep him around before-"

"Before I chuck his little body through a corridor that leads right back to Jumba?" Nairbix asked hotly.

"More or less, yes." She sighed.

"Fine. But there is no way in any world's hell that I am letting him stay with me!" Nairbix snarled as 254 cuddled his leg and gave a cute gurgled purr.

"Let who stay with you, Nairbix?" Padme asked as she walked over to them dressed in one of her many senator robes. In response, Nairbix raised his leg with an annoyed look on his face to show the politician the experiment. "What is that?!" She squealed in fondness at the sight of 254.

"This is one of my brother's many genetic experiments, Experiment 254. Apparently, he thought it would be funny to send an entire box of his experiments to me and see what 'evil deeds' they would cause to torment me."

"Oh, you are such a cutie!" Padme cooed at 254 clearly ignoring Nairbix even as he did another pratfall. "Yes, you are. Yes, you are!" She said as she tickled the experiment.

"If only they knew." Nairbix muttered bluntly from the floor, "Who am I kidding? With as cute as 254 is, we're all going to know how bad he'll smell. It's happening all over again!"

"Well, since you're clearly against 254 staying with you, Nairbix. Why don't you let Padme keep an eye on him?" Obi-Wan suggested.

"Ugh, fine!" Nairbix groaned, "But I suggest that none of you get attached to him because in thirty-six hours, 254 will be saying bye-bye." He informed with a dark/deranged chuckle before looking around the floor. "Where's the box of experiment pods?" He asked only to see 254 balance it on his little head cutely.

"Donikachi." He said cutely in another language as he presented the box to Nairbix.

"That is so cute!" The three girls squealed as Nairbix snatched the box with an annoyed expression before giving 254 three pats on the head and storming off. Later that day, Nairbix reluctantly decided to check on Padme while she looked after 254. As he entered her apartment, he announced that he was there.

"Padme!" He called, "I came to see how you were handling 254."

"In here!" She called back from her bedroom, as he walked into the room, Nairbix came across a sight he found quite irritating. It was Padme tucking 254 in a little bed made from a nearby dresser.

"What is that?" Nairbix asked in annoyance.

"It's a beddie-weddie for the little cutie's nappy-wappy-poo!" Padme cooed as 254 snuggled in his little bed.

"I think I'm gonna be sicky-wicky-poo." Nairbix said bluntly.

"Oh, stop it." Padme waved off, "What is it about him you don't like anyway?"

"I don't know how many times I have to say this, I know how bad he'll smell in the next…" He trailed before looking at a nearby clock, "Twelve hours!"

"Whatever." She replied which made Nairbix grit his teeth in frustration. "By the way, did you find out what the remaining experiments are?"

"Oh, yeah. And believe me, you do not want any of those to be activated."

"I'll take your word for it. What did you do with them anyway?"

"Oh, Anakin and Natasha thought it would be good for Ashoka to take care of a great responsibility and convinced me to let her look after the remaining pods." Nairbix replied.

"Do you think she's up for that?" Padme asked.

"As long as she keeps them away from any liquid, it'll be fine. Besides, as soon as 254 starts to emit his odor, I'm tossing all of them, activated or not back to my brother…and then I will beat him black and green for sending them to me in the first place." Nairbix replied in an overly calm voice just before his com-link beeped.

"Go for Nairbix." He answered, though Padme couldn't make out the words, she gathered it wasn't good news when she heard her friend's outcry. "She did what?!" He shouted, "I'm on my way." He growled before looking back at his old friend, "Hey, guess what just happened back at the temple?"

"Ashoka accidently activated the other experiments?" Padme asked with a smirk.

"Bingo." Nairbix replied with a wicked angry grin before vanishing in a wisp of darkness. When he arrived back at the temple, he found his four friends being tormented by the experiments. Ashoka was dealing with a large purple bat experiment that was latched onto her face. Obi-Wan was rendered helpless by a pink spotted legless experiment that tickled him nonstop.

Natasha was having her own problems with a four headed experiment that was explaining why it was evil in song as it held her in an iron grip. "We're evil because we sing annoyingly off key!"

And Anakin, oh, poor Anakin was being wrapped up in tape by a tape producing experiment while an annoying, small and talkative experiment talked his ears off rapidly.

"Oh, and this one time I met this beautiful dame but she had the worst singing voice I ever heard. Speaking of which, I can sing pretty good, sometimes I just like to sing for hours on end, in fact, I think I'll sing right now. Lalalalaa!" It said in an annoying blur.

"Make it stop!" Anakin pleaded, "It's annoying!"

"Yep, the next time I see Jumba, I'm gonna kill him." Nairbix said bluntly to himself. He then heard a feminine little giggle from behind and saw a round little red experiment with a spout-like nose. "Ah, crap." Nairbix muttered knowing what this experiment could do.

It giggled again before blowing a blast of air from its nose that sent Nairbix flying over to Natasha. "You guys had one job! One job and you managed to activate them all!" He shouted to his friend over the off key quartet. "What'd you do, sneeze on all of them?!" He asked hotly just before a blue experiment bouncing on its tail sent a blasting noise from an air horn on its head in his ears.

"Shut up, Nairbix!" Natasha retorted, "Jar Jar came looking for Padme with drinks and tripped on his robes and got all the pods wet!"

"What?!" Nairbix asked loudly, obviously, that last experiment blew his eardrums. As they stilled laid on the floor, another orange big nosed experiment walked past them carrying a plate of ham.

"Is that the one that turns everything into ham?" Natasha asked staring at it.

"What?!" Nairbix asked again.

"Is that the one that turns everything into ham?"

"…What?!"

"Is that the one that turns everything into ham?!" Natasha shouted in his ear.

"Ah, yes, that's the one!" Nairbix replied loudly. With a wave of his magic coated hands, he was able to fix his hearing. "We'll need to round them up if we're ever gonna make it through this madness."

"Really, I would never have thought of that!" Natasha said sarcastically only to have a blank faced Nairbix flick her forehead. He then rushed over to the tape producing experiment and ripped it off of Anakin before wrapping the chatty experiment (mouth first) in tape to bind it.

"Hi, Nairbix!" It said annoyingly, "Boy, I haven't seen you in a long time, in fact I missed you so much I-" It started before Nairbix shut it up.

"That's enough out of you, 110." He said bluntly, he then went over to do the same with the tickling experiment and the bat experiment on Ashoka's face.

After he pulled it off and wrapped it up, Ashoka gasped for air and asked what it did to her. "What was that thing doing to me?"

"That experiment was designed to literally suck out as much mucus from someone as possible. I guess you had a lot inside you, Snips." He teased before taking care of the remaining experiments around them. After he wrapped them all, he looked around to see if any were left.

"Nairbix, look out!" Natasha warned, but it was too late. From behind him, a dark blue and white porcupine looking experiment whipped its tail at the Narnian and flung several spikes; one of which pierced his behind.

"You know what would be a good idea?" He asked with a dumb slur, "If we fly to a moon and take all of its cheese, we can have one hell of a fondue party." He finished before falling face first to the ground. "Hi, floor! Make me a sandwich!"

"…What just happened to him?" Anakin asked as he used the Force to wrap up the last experiment.

"I believe that that experiment's spike causes people to become stupid after it's injected in their ass." Natasha said looking at her now stupid friend.

"That doesn't even make any sense!" Ashoka cried.

"I agree, but do you think that the effects will wear off if we remove the spike?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I dunno, it might work." Natasha shrugged. With a wave of her hand, she used the Force to knock the spike off of her friend's rump; and the results…well…

"I just pooted a spikey thing!" Nairbix exclaimed still completely stupid yet happy.

"Well, that answers that." Anakin said bluntly, "Did he tell you anything about how to deal with these experiments?"

"No…but he does have a database that his brother left him. It should have information on all the experiments and on how to help him."

"Alright, where does he keep it?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Got me." She shrugged, "But I honestly doubt that the genius rolling on the floor will be much help." She said bluntly with a jerk of her thumb in his direction.

"That's for sure." The other three Jedi agreed in unison.

"Look what I got!" Nairbix announced waving a light turquoise laptop.

"I take it that's it?" Ashoka asked as Nairbix stuck it in his mouth.

"Yes." Natasha replied as she snatched it from her friend's mouth with the Force. "Ew." She groaned feeling the slobber before looking up the information on the experiment in question. "Aha, here we are. Experiment 319, primary function: stupidity inducing…lasts for…forty-eight hours!" She groaned.

"So, we're stuck with Nairbix being a dimwit for two days." Anakin pointed out just before his Padawan let out a loud gasp.

"Um, guys, if Nairbix is gonna be this stupid for forty-eight hours…do you think he'll be too stupid to where he can't open a portal to send all the experiments especially 254 back?" She asked clearly nervous. Hearing this, the other three Jedi became silent; the Padawan proved a valid point. If he was too stupid to the point where he couldn't send them back, they would have to smell the horrid stench Nairbix warned them about.

"Snap out of it, you idiot!" Natasha screamed as jumped on him and repeatedly slapped his face. But he was still in a stupid daze even as she slapped him till his face swelled.

"Let me try something." Anakin offered as he readied himself; with an outstretched hand, he attempted to restore Nairbix's intellect to what it was with the Force.

"You will stop being so stupid…you will return to your normal intellect." He ordered as Nairbix stared at him blankly as he sat on the floor. He then raised his hand and stretched his thumb and index finger as he closed one eye and pressed them together.

"Squishy." He said in an attempted cute voice.

"We might as well cut our noses off now to save ourselves." Anakin groaned bluntly.

"That would actually back fire on us because that will make our sense of smell even stronger." Natasha informed while Anakin smacked his forehead in frustration. The next eleven hours and fifty-five minutes passed painfully for heroes as they dreadfully awaited for 254 to release his pungent smell upon Coruscant.

"We are doomed!" Natasha groaned as they all lounged in Padme's apartment (mostly because she was reluctant to giving 254 back to them.) "I can feel the horrible stench of death tug on my nostril hairs."

"Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock." Nairbix recited dumbly.

"Only two minutes left before the little guy will seem less cute." Ashoka said as she laid on the couch as a nearby clocked clicked.

"Make that one." Anakin corrected as he brought in 254.

"Please don't take him away." Padme pleaded as she tailed Anakin, "By the way, how's Nairbix doing?"

"Still stupid thanks to 319." Obi-Wan answered while the dark Narnian blew spit bubbles on the floor.

"Seconds to go." Natasha warned as 254 waddled cutely on the floor and cuddled Nairbix's head lovingly with a gurgled purr.

"Five." Anakin groaned.

"Four." Obi-Wan mumbled.

"Tree!" Nairbix added.

"Two." Ashoka sighed.

"One." Natasha said just before they all could see the pink stench lines emit from 254's little body. "Oh, God almighty, that's ripe!" She shouted as she pinched her nose.

"Agh, Nairbix wasn't kidding, this really is the worst smell ever." Anakin agreed as he covered his nose.

"Okay, okay. You guys can take him away, just please get him out of my apartment before the walls start to peel." Padme pleaded while Nairbix continued to giggle like an idiot.

"Heheheheh," He chuckled before the stench entered his nostrils; in a matter of seconds, his face scrunched as he sniffed the odor just before it turned to a horrified shocked expression.

"Oh, my emperor!" He wailed, "Yuck, it's even worse than I remember! I'm tearing!" He cried jumping to his feet.

"Well, what do you know? This putrid stench is what we needed to snap him out of it." Natasha realized.

"Can I please send him and the others back now?!" Nairbix pleaded.

"You don't need our permission, just do it anyway!" They all cried hotly. Without any further delays, Nairbix gladly opened a corridor and began to chuck every single experiment through it. Once he reached 254, he looked up at him with an adorable smile and reached up to try and get him to hold him.

Nairbix did and looked into the experiment's big egg shaped eyes before putting his hand on his head. At first, the others thought that this was Nairbix showing the little cutie that he actually cared for him and was about to show it an act of compassion.

However, this was quickly dismissed once they saw their friend chuck the little one's body as hard as he could through the portal of swirling darkness and dust his hands in satisfaction. He then turned to glare at his friends before he spoke to them.

"I don't care what I did earlier, but we will leave it in the past where it belongs. And if any of you try to use any of those moments against me, I will personally go to my brother's lab and pick out the worst experiments we've ever created and bind them to each of you with hot tree sap. Got it?" Nairbix asked before storming off.

"Well, this day turned out to be eventful." Natasha said bluntly as the others nodded.


	20. Raiders of The Lost Narnian Ark

**Hey, surprise surprise, I managed to get through this chapter pretty quickly! Funny enough, I made my decision yesterday morning during church so we can thank God for the advice. As always, I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, anything Disney, Marvel, or anything from Lucasfilms. Also, there will be another A.N. at the end.**

Two days after the whole experiment fiasco, Nairbix and his friends were once again hanging out in the Jedi temple; that is until a ball of glowing light zoomed through the hall and stopped in Nairbix's face.

"True Keyblade Master Nairbix VanSull, the council of Keyblade Masters requests that you return to the Masters' Citadel immediately. Further information will be provided upon your return." Said a woman's voice from the ball just before it diminished.

"Duty calls." Nairbix said simply.

"You may want to inform the council before you leave, Nairbix." Obi-Wan suggested, "They wouldn't like it if you up and left in the middle of a war and they may not let you go now."

"Then it's a good thing I'm informing them and not asking for their permission." Nairbix replied with a cool smirk. Once the members of the Jedi council arrived, in person or through holograms, Nairbix informed them of his orders.

"Earlier today, I was contacted by my order in my galaxy. I am to return there for a mission that they feel that I need to assist them with." He said to the Jedi around him.

"And you feel that they absolutely need your help?" Windu asked.

"I'm the most powerful wielder of the Keyblade alive and I hold a rank and power only two before me could achieve. If they need my help above all the other wielders and masters, it's urgent enough to where they need my help." Nairbix replied.

"The situation at hand what is?" Yoda asked.

"The message didn't say, only that further information would be provided once I arrived. I am here to tell all of you that I intend to return home and face whatever it is."

"Need we remind you that we are currently at war, young VanSull?" Windu asked.

"No, you don't. But apparently, I need to remind you that I am basically a volunteer in this war and that I have my own order to serve in my own galaxy. I will return here to further assist the Jedi and Republic, but I will first attend to my own order, Windu." Nairbix retorted with a level yet angry tone.

"I agree with Nairbix." Natasha threw in, "If the Keyblade masters feel that they need his help, then the situation is very serious. Besides, a while back, our galaxy was threatened by a Universal Inquisition which may be why they are calling him back."

"And how dangerous is this inquisition, Mater Romanoff?" Jedi master Ki Adi Mundi asked.

"Very. Its leader resurrected a powerful demon and used it to try and destroy my home world and kill my people. Nearly killed me too and I used every ounce of my strength and power. I only won because I got lucky that the beast was arrogant and mostly toyed with me."

"Since then, the inquisition hasn't shown itself, but that may have changed since my arrival here." Nairbix added.

"Hmm," Yoda mused before giving the final verdict, "Your own home you must protect. Allow you to go and return the council does. Wish you luck we will, my friend."

"Thank you, Master Yoda and I wish all of you luck as well. May the Force be with you." Nairbix said with a respectful nod before opening a corridor of darkness to leave for the citadel.

As the darkness cleared, Nairbix found himself before the entire council of Keyblade Masters. "Welcome home, Master Nairbix." Sigurd greeted in his deep noble voice.

"Good to be back, old friend." Nairbix replied with a wave of his arm and a respectful nod. "So what was it that all of you thought that you needed my help for?"

"Unfortunately, the inquisition has begun to make itself known to the worlds." Delton informed with his ever emotionless face. "More and more worlds are either joining or being taken control by it."

"Alright, so why do you need me?" Nairbix asked once again.

"Because, lately, many inquisitors have been searching for magical artifacts hidden in several worlds. The ones that they are looking for are extremely powerful and dangerous. Given your expertise on magical items and your experience with the inquisition, we felt as though we should let you handle this. You will be heading to this world where the object is located." Eraqus informed as he crossed his arms while the looking glass showed the world.

"Fair enough, but why me specifically?" He asked, "I appreciate that you think highly of my skills, but this seems like something any one of you could handle yourselves." After he said this, many of the masters he had befriended over the years looked away with guilty expressions.

"…Sigurd, just tell him." Calo pleaded.

"Tell me what?" Nairbix asked.

"…There is another reason why we felt that you should take on this mission, my dear friend." Goldmin admitted before Sigurd created an image in the massive looking glass, the image had shown a golden ark with symbols that Nairbix immediately recognized.

"Those are Narnian symbols." He muttered in shock.

"This is the next item that the inquisition is searching for." Sigurd explained, "It is known as The Ark of the Covenant…and also a lost relic of your home-world Narnia."

"…But the Ark was lost to Narnia after the humans brought the Witch to their world and then back to Narnia." Nairbix stated, "How could they know about it?"

"We don't know. All we know, is that since this is a sacred relic of your home, we decided that you should be the one to reclaim it." Delton explained to his friend as he began to choke up.

"Thank you." Nairbix said to them as his voice shook, "I will retrieve the Ark and terminate these inquisitor insects before they desecrate this artifact." He said with determination.

"Excellent, but before you go, there is more we need to tell you." Trisha further provided.

"Such as?"

"Well, the inhabitants of this world have been dealing with the inquisition for quite some time. Some of the officials are wanting to put a stop to it themselves through…a proxy of a kind." She explained.

"What kind of proxy?" Nairbix asked.

"They've contacted an expert in archeological artifacts to assist them in locating the Ark. A man by the name of Indiana Jones. You are to meet with him and assist each other in locating the Ark and prevent the inquisitors from finding it and bring it to their leader. Understood?" Sigurd asked as Nairbix nodded and headed to a corridor he had just created.

As he marched to a corridor in anger, he turned around to the council and shouted, "For Narnia!" And with that, he ventured to the designated world. He then found himself walking through a suburban neighborhood in the dark of night heading to one of the houses. Once he walked up to the right one, he knocked on the door and awaited his new partner.

The door then opened to revel a handsome looking man with brown neatly combed hair and large glasses wearing a coat over a white t-shirt and slacks. "Can I help you?" He asked.

"Doctor Indiana Jones?" Nairbix asked.

"Depends who's asking." He replied.

"True Keyblade Master Nairbix VanSull. The council sent me to assist you in finding the Ark." Nairbix greeted with an outstretched hand.

"Oh, yeah, nice to meet you. Come on in." Indiana said as they shook hands firmly, "I got to say, I was a little surprised that your pals on the council decided to send you of all people here." He said as they walked into his house.

"Well, given my experience with the inquisition and the Ark, the council thought it would be best to send me." Nairbix replied.

"Yeah, about that," Indiana began, "What exactly do you know about the Ark of the Covenant?"

"More than anyone outside of the world it came from would ever know." Nairbix replied as he began to pace around and inspect the room. "The Ark and I are from the same world. We both come from Narnia. I was born as the living manifestation and embodiment of Narnia's firstborn darkness through the will of Narnia itself. The Ark, however, was made by The Emperor Beyond the Sea. It is a very powerful relic that contains a massive source of raw Deep Magic."

"Deep Magic?" Indiana asked thinking it was a joke.

"The very foundation of all of Narnia." Nairbix clarified, "Think of it as a mixture of magic and what you would know as the laws of physics. Only thing is, with the Deep Magic, unlike laws of physics that can never be broken, it can."

"Really?"

"Yes, but like all laws, if you break them, there will be consequences. If someone were to break the laws of the Deep Magic…well, the results would end in the destruction of Narnia and all that live in it. The Ark was made by the Emperor to test whether or not the Narnians would obey his law. If one was to open it, they would be punished in ways I dare not tell you."

"So what happened to it?"

"In the beginning, Narnia's creation was altered. A wannabe magician and his nephew along with a human girl and an evil former queen and witch appeared as Aslan created life. Somehow, they all returned to the magician's world but when they left, they left with the Ark." Nairbix explained, "Apparently, it got caught up in the magic that transported them and was lost in that world. This world, to be exact."

"So, what?" Indiana asked, "You think someone came along and took it?"

"No, with as powerful as the Ark is, its power probably interfered with the transportation magic and ended up in a different time here. The inquisition will want its power for themselves to help eliminate anyone who would oppose them. I hear you know someone who has greatly studied the Ark's history."

"Yeah, an old friend named Abner Ravenwood." Indiana replied, "He was obsessed in finding the Ark and showing it to the world. The inquisition came looking for him and now I'm off to go find him and find it before they can."

"Good. Then our goals are the same. But, I do plan to retrieve the Ark and do what needs to be done. You understand this, right?" Nairbix asked.

"Look, pal, all I want is to find the damn thing and make sure the inquisition doesn't take it. As long as you help me make sure that happens, we'll get along fine. Partners?" He asked with an outstretched hand.

"Partners." Nairbix agreed as he shook his hand. The next day, the two of them flew to where Indiana last heard that Ravenwood was sighted, a place called Nepal. Up in the snowy mountains, they reached an old tavern filled to the brim with drunks trying to get warm. Once they walked through the door, their shadows could be seen on the wall.

Indiana was now dressed in a worn leather jacket over a button down shirt and slacks with a gun and whip at his side and an old blackish brown fedora on his head. He looked into the room to see a beautiful young woman with raven black hair and greasy old clothes.

"Hello, Marion." He greeted with a somewhat shameful tone. At the sight of him, she threw down a pair of shot glasses and laughed nostalgically at the archeologist.

"Indiana Jones. Always knew, someday you'd come walking back through my door." She said with a fake smile, "I never doubted that. Something made it inevitable. So, I got two questions for you: what are you doing in Nepal and who's your friend?" She asked.

"This is Nairbix VanSull. He's a member of the Keyblade Masters' Council and currently a True Master who's helping me with why we're here. We need one of the pieces your father collected." He replied, as he finished, Marion gave him a real good punch to the jaw.

"I learned to hate you in the last ten years." She said with bitterness.

"I never meant to hurt you." Indiana defended.

"I was a child. I was in love. It was wrong and you knew it!" She cried.

"You knew what you were doing." Indiana waved off.

"Now I do!" Marion retorted, "This is my place. Get out! Both of you!"

"I did what I did. You don't need to be happy about it, but maybe we could help each other out now." Indiana offered.

"Please, Miss." Nairbix begged, "We need one of the pieces your father collected. Bronze piece, about this size," He explained making a circle with his hands, "Has a hole in it, off-center with a crystal."

"You know the one we mean?" Indiana asked.

"Yeah. I know it." She replied hotly as she picked up glasses from surrounding tables.

"Where's Abner?" Indy asked.

"Abner's dead." Marion said sadly.

"Marion, I'm sorry." Indiana apologized after taking in the death of his old friend. Marion just shook her head and gave an anguished soft laugh.

"Do you know what you did to me, to my life?" She asked.

"I can only say I'm sorry so many times." Indiana replied only to see Marion throw her glasses in anger.

"Well, say it again, anyway!" She snarled.

"Sorry." He replied in shame.

"Yeah, everybody's sorry." She retorted, "Abner was sorry for dragging me all over this world looking for his little bits of junk. I'm sorry to still be stuck in this dive. Everyone's sorry for something." She huffed.

"It's a worthless bronze medallion, Marion. You going to give it to me?" Indiana asked from the bar.

"Maybe." Marion replied, "I don't know where it is."

"Well, maybe you could find it." Nairbix suggested.

"For 3000 bucks." Indiana offered as he pulled out the money.

"Well, that will get me back, but no in style." She informed.

"We can get you another two when we get back to the states." Nairbix added, "It's important, Ms. Ravenwood." He said looking into her eyes.

"And why the hell do you think it's so important?" She asked. Nairbix then pulled her up close to where his mouth was next her ear and whispered the reason.

"I am a Narnian." He whispered which made Marion's eyes widen in shock, "I'm the living manifestation and embodiment of the very world that the Ark came from."

"Do you know the piece we mean?" Indiana asked, "Do you know where it is?" He asked only to see his old flame laugh in his face.

"Come back tomorrow." She said to them.

"Why?" Nairbix asked.

"Because I said so, that's why." She said with a smug smirk. As they headed out the door, Marion called back to them, "Ha! See you tomorrow, Indiana Jones!"

"Well, seems like you did a real number on her, Indy." Nairbix teased.

"Yeah, well, I was young and stupid." He mumbled, "What about you, you got a girl in your life?" He asked smirking.

"I've fallen for one, and let me tell you, she's even more hotheaded than Marion back there." Nairbix replied just before he caught a group of men enter the bar out of the corner of his eye; he looked to Indiana to see if he had spotted them.

"Yeah, I saw 'em." He replied just before they both said the same word that was on their minds.

"Inquisitors."

When they snuck back into the bar, they saw two inquisitors hold Marion while another dressed in black with a fedora with glasses held a red hot iron pick near her head.

"I-I can be reasonable." Marion offered in fear.

"That time has passed." The inquisitor said with a sniveling German accent.

"I'll tell you everything."

"Yes," He said holding the pick up to her face, "I know you will." Just before he could brand the poor girl, Indy used his whip to snatch it out of the inquisitor's hand and toss it to the side which set fire to some drapes.

"Let her go." He warned with his gun drawn and Nairbix with his Keyblade summoned. Just before they could fire, Indiana fired his own gun which started a gun fight. As the fight was going on, the sniveling inquisitor spotted the medallion they were looking for on the floor surrounded by fire. He then picked it up with his bare hand and burned his flesh to the point to where he was running outside screaming in pain after dropping it.

As the fire continued to spread and the last inquisitor was dead, the newly formed trio ran outside to safety.

"Well, Jones," Marion hollered over the wind, "At least you haven't forgotten how to show a lady a good time!"

"Boy, you're something!" He and Nairbix yelled at her over the wind.

"Yeah, I'll tell you what. Until I get back my $5000, you two are going to get more than you bargained for. I'm your goddamned partner!" She shouted showing the two of them the medallion.

Several days later, the party flew to the land of Cairo where the Ark was believed to be. There, they met up with an old friend of Indiana's named Sallah who offered them a place to stay.

At his home, he showed Marion (now dressed in clean white and red clothes) the beautiful view of his home while Indy and Nairbix looked at two different things fondly. "Cairo, the city of the living." Sallah said in a deep friendly voice, "A paradise on this beautiful world."

As he said this, Sallah's multiple children started to laugh at a sight they found on a table. It was a cute little capuchin monkey wearing a red vest that had taken a liking to Marion as it jumped onto her shoulders. While this was going on, Indy, Nairbix and Sallah began to discuss what the inquisition was doing (since he was one of the diggers they hired.)

"I knew the inquisitors would hire you, Sallah." Indy said to his friend, "You're the best digger in these parts."

"My services are entirely inconsequential to them." Sallah informed, "They've hired or shanghaied every digger in Cairo. The excavation is enormous. They only hire strong backs and they pay pennies for them. It's as if the pharaohs have returned." He said in disappointment.

"When did they find the map room?" Nairbix asked.

"Three days ago. They have not one brain among them." Sallah said to them, "Except one. He is very clever. He's a French archeologist."

"What's his name?" Indy asked.

"They call him 'Bellosh.'" Sallah replied only to see Indy laugh.

"Belloq." He corrected with a wide grin, "Belloq."

"The inquisitors have a great advantage over us." Sallah continued, "They are near to discovering the Well of Souls."

"Well, they're not going to find it without this." Nairbix replied with a grin as Indy pulled out the medallion.

"Who can tell us about these markings?" He asked as Sallah took a closer look at it. "Nairbix can't read it 'cause it's not written in Narnian."

"Perhaps a man I know can help us. Indy…there is something that troubles me." Sallah admitted.

"What is it?" He asked.

"The Ark. If it is there, at Tanis, then it is something that man was not meant to disturb." Sallah said with dread, "Death has always surrounded it. It is not of this world."

Later that day, Indy, Marion and Nairbix decided to take a stroll through the streets of Cairo. "Do we need the monkey, huh?" Indy asked Marion as the monkey cooed on her shoulder.

"I'm surprised at you, Jones-talking that way about our baby." Marion teased through her laughter.

"Yeah, she's got your looks, too." Nairbix agreed.

"And your brains." He said to Marion.

"I know. She's a smart little thing." She said just before their baby ran off.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine." Indy consoled, "Here, have a date." He offered.

"What is it?" Marion asked.

"It's a date, Marion. You eat 'em." Nairbix explained as they continued to walk through the crowded streets. The little monkey was now on her way to a shady looking man wearing robes, a blue turban and an eye patch. He then went inside and showed two guards his right hand which began to show the burning brand of the inquisition. The guards did the same as well as the little monkey, he then went over to inform a high ranking inquisitor what he found out through the monkey.

"How come you haven't found some nice girl to settle down with and raise eight or nine kids like your friend Sallah?" Marion asked Indy as they continued on their walk.

"Who says I haven't?" He retorted playfully.

"I do." She replied, "Dad had you figured a long time ago. He said you were a bum. The most gifted bum he ever trained."

"Oh, he's being generous." Indy replied with humor.

"You know, he loved you like a son. Took a hell of a lot for you to alienate him."

"Not much. Just you." He said.

"Seems like you two have quite the history." Nairbix teased.

"Oh, yeah?" Marion asked with a devious smirk. "And what about you, VanSull? You got yourself a girl?"

"Been in love with the same girl for nearly fourteen years and still no closer to asking her out." He admitted just before a mercenary tried to kill him only be stabbed in the gut by Nairbix's Keyblade without him even looking. More of them appeared and began to surround them while Indy did his best fend them off with his fists.

"Marion, get out of here!" Indy said to her just before another mercenary tried to attack them. He, of course was sent to the ground thanks to a good clock in the face curtesy of Dr. Jones. She then ran off to go and hide in a laundry basket only to be ratted out by her monkey friend.

After they dealt with the mercenaries, Indy and Nairbix looked around to try and find Marion but instead found a tall mercenary in black swing his sword with skill. However, Indy simply shot him in the chest before he spotted and heard Marion calling for them in a basket.

As they chased them through a maze of streets, they came to find an unwelcome sight. "Oh, bother." Nairbix cursed under his breath as they both looked at the street filled with people carrying baskets identical to Marion's.

With no other option, Nairbix and Jones began to knock every basket they saw hoping to find their friend. "Jones!" Marion called from the other side of street, "Nairbix!" She shouted again as they chased after her only to be stopped be gun fire.

The mercenaries then put her in a truck filled with explosives and started to drive off. Indy then began to fire at the driver and succeeded in killing him which caused the truck to tip over and explode.

"Marion." Indy muttered in sadness as he looked at the flaming remains of the truck. Nairbix bowed his head in respect and gave his friend a supportive hand on his shoulder as he fell to the ground on his knees.

"Dr. Jones. Master VanSull." Came a voice from behind them. They looked to see two men in white suits holding guns staring at them. "There's someone who'd very much like to speak to the two of you." One of them said as he presented his inquisitor brand.

After they were escorted to a nearby tavern, they came to see a middle aged French man in a white suit and hat enjoying a smoke.

"Belloq." Indy said glaring daggers at his adversary.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Jones. And to you as well, Master VanSull."

"We ought to kill you right now." Indy said in a controlled anger.

"Not a very private place for a murder." Belloq said calmly and smugly as he gestured to the people around them.

"These people don't care if we kill each other. They're not going to interfere with our business, Inquisitor." Nairbix hissed.

"It was not I who brought the girl into this business." Belloq defended, "Please, sit down before you fall down. We can at least behave like civilized people." He offered as the duo angrily complied.

"How odd that it should end this way for us, after so many stimulating encounters. I almost regret it. Where shall I find a new adversary so close to my own level?" He asked Indy, "And you, Master VanSull, wherever will the inquisition find such a noble renegade to try and oppose it?"

"Try the local sewer." They replied, this only seemed to amuse Belloq.

"You and I are very much alike, my friends. Our methods have not differed as much as you pretend. I am a shadowy reflection of you. It would only take a nudge to make you like me, to push you both out of the light." Belloq said in attempted intimidation.

"Shows what you know." Nairbix replied with an unimpressed glance, "I'm the living manifestation and embodiment of an entire world's darkness. What you consider darkness, is less than the shade you can find under a tree."

"Be that as it may, men will kill for the Ark. Be it now, next week or even in a hundred years. It's only a matter of time and patience." Belloq further monologued.

"What about your boss, the Grand Inquisitor?" Indy asked, "We thought he was wanting to take possession immediately. I wonder how patient he'll be with you if you take a hundred years to find the Ark before someone else does."

"All in good time. When I am finished with it." He hissed, "Jones, do you realize what the Ark is? It's a transmitter. A radio for speaking to God."

"Yeah, a one way radio where the only thing he'll say is, 'you've stuck your nose in the wrong place so it's time for you to be punished.'" Nairbix said flatly while Indiana looked up to Belloq with a fiery glare.

"You want to talk to God?" He asked, "Then let's talk to Him together. I've got nothing better to do." He said pulling out his gun which caused everyone else in the room to pull out their own weapons. However, they were stopped by all of Sallah's children running in and begging their "uncle Indy" to come home.

"Next time it will take more than children to save your lives, my dear foes." Belloq said with a fake smile as the children dragged them out to Sallah.

"I thought I would find you two there." He said to them.

"Marion's dead." Indy said with grief.

"Yes, I know. I am sorry." Sallah said with sincerity, "Life goes on, my friends. I have much to tell you. First we will take them home," He said gesturing to his children, "And then I will take you to see the old man."

Later that night in Sallah's home, the three friends discussed the events that played out and their next plan of action. "I can't figure out how Belloq did it. Where did he get a copy of the headpiece?" Indy asked, "There are no pictures, no duplicates of it anywhere."

"I tell you only what I saw with my own eyes: A headpiece like that one, except round the edges which were rougher." Sallah explained, "In the center, the Inquisitor had embedded a crystal, and…and surrounding the crystal, on one side, there were raised markings."

"They made their markings in the map room?" Nairbix asked.

"This morning." Sallah informed, "Belloq and a high ranking Inquisitor, Dietrich. When they came out of the map room, they gave us a new spot in which to dig, out away from the camp."

"The Well of the Souls, huh?" Indy asked while the old man Sallah mentioned earlier urged them to where he was sitting.

"Come, come, look. Look here…look." He said in a high silly voice.

"What is it?" Nairbix asked as they looked at the actual medallion.

"This is a warning not to disturb the Ark of the Covenant." The old man explained.

"What about the height of the staff, though? Did Belloq get it off of here?" Indy asked.

"Yes. This were the old way, this means six kadam high."

"About seventy-two inches." Nairbix clarified.

"Wait!" The old man said before turning the medallion over to read more inscriptions, "And take back one kadam to honor the God whose Ark this is."

Hearing this, all three men gained smirks of utter satisfaction on their faces. "You said their headpiece only had markings on one side. Are you absolutely sure?" Nairbix asked Sallah who nodded.

"Belloq's staff is too long." Indy thought out loud.

"They're digging in the wrong place." They all said. While Nairbix and Sallah were dancing happily, Indy was about to pop a date in his mouth only for Nairbix to catch it and crush it. They then looked to see the monkey lay on the floor dead with dates by its mouth.

"Bad dates." Sallah said grimly. The next day, they made their way through the massive archeological dig site.

"What time does the sun hit the map room?" Indy asked now wearing a disguise of white clothes and a turban with the staff.

"At about 9:00 in the morning." Sallah replied.

"Not much time then." Nairbix muttered, "Where are they digging for the Well of the Souls?"

"On that ridge but the map room is over there." Sallah informed. As they made their way over to the hole, Indy dropped the staff and some rope after Nairbix jumped in and before Sallah lowered him down.

Once they entered the map room, the two friends found the correct spot to place the staff and eagerly awaited the sun the shine through the stone. Once it did and they found the correct location, Indy called for Sallah to help them get out. Instead, they were given a make shift rope with an Inquisition banner at the end.

After they sneaked back into the camp, Indy and Nairbix snuck into Belloq's tent only to find a gagged and tied and very much alive Marion. Indy then happily kissed her letting her know how much he missed her.

"Marion, we know where the Ark is." He said to her.

"The Ark's here?" She asked as they nodded in excitement, "I'm coming with you, Jones. Get me out of here!" She begged, "Nairbix, talk some sense into him."

"Marion, calm down." Nairbix pleaded, "If we cut you lose they'll start combing the place for us."

"We'll be back to get you." Indy said before kissing her head and leaving her as they found her. After they found the location and brought Sallah and his team of diggers, night fell and they struck their metaphorical gold.

"Indy, Nairbix! We've struck stone!" Sallah declared as they went over to inspect the sight.

"Clear it off. Look for the edges." Indy instructed, they quickly found the edges and managed to pull the stone slab off with the help of Nairbix and his chains. As they looked down the hole, a flash of lightning reveled a frightening looking statue that made Sallah scream in terror.

"Sorry, Indy." He said sheepishly, "Indy, Nairbix, why does the floor move?" He asked peering down at the floor below.

"Hang on a sec." Nairbix said before sending a ball of luminous light down into the Well.

"Snakes." Indy groaned in despair, "Why did it have to be snakes?" He asked as Sallah checked to see what type they were dealing with.

"Asps. Very dangerous. You two go first." He suggested earning ungrateful looks from his friends. After nearly dropping Indy down into the pit of snakes, Nairbix gently floated down and noticed that his companion was deathly afraid of snakes.

"Hey, hey, relax." Nairbix calmed his nervous pal, "I'll take care of them." He said before electrocuting them all and listening to their hisses of anguish.

"Thanks, pal." Indy exhaled.

"Don't mention it." Nairbix waved off as Sallah came down to join them. As they approached the coffin that held the Ark, Nairbix began to feel a lump form in his throat.

"You alright?" Indy asked.

"The last time I felt this sort of power, I was still in Narnia. For the first time in nearly eighteen years, I feel like I'm close to home." Nairbix said a single tear went down his face. To support their friend, Sallah and Indy each gave him friendly and warm pats on the back with genuine smiles just before the pulled out the Ark.

It was made of pure gold and covered in lion and eagle designs. They then placed it into a wooden crate and had Sallah's men hoist it out. When it came time for them to escape, Sallah went first but the rope fell in just before they could escape.

"Hello." A familiar voice called through the hole, "Hello." It said again with a face to match, a face that belonged to Belloq. "Why Dr. Jones and Master VanSull, whatever are the two of you doing in such a nasty place?"

"Why don't you come on down here and we'll show you!" They both yelled at the arrogant inquisitor.

"Thank you, my friends, but I believe we are all very comfortable up here." Belloq declined, "So once again, Jones, what was briefly yours is now mine."

"I take it he's been a pain in your ass more times than this?" Nairbix asked while they were still looking up.

"You don't know the half of it." Indiana muttered back.

"What a fitting end to your life's pursuits." Belloq continued, "The two of you are about to become a permanent addition to this archaeological find. Who knows? In a thousand years, even the two of you might be worth something."

"Hahaha, that son of a bitch." Indy cursed with fake laughter under his breath.

"We're worth a hell of a lot more than you now, you damn inquisitor Son of Adam bastard!" Nairbix shouted.

"I'm afraid we must be going now, my friends. But we do not wish to leave you alone without some pleasurable company." The Inquisitor Dietrich said before they tossed Marion in with them and covered the hole.

"Oh, God, we're gonna die!" Marion wailed.

"Don't panic, I'll find us a way out." Indiana reassured.

"Guys." Nairbix said to them only to be ignored.

"What'd you mean don't panic?! We're trapped in a hole filled with snakes and no way out, Jones!" Marion shouted.

"Really?! I hadn't noticed, Marion!" He retorted.

"Guys." Nairbix said again louder only to see them continue with their ranting. "You guys!" He shouted as they faced him with angry expressions, "Might I suggest we try my exit route?" He asked indicating to a corridor he had just made.

After they walked through, they found themselves looking at the inquisitors readying planes to carry the Ark. "They're going to fly it out of here." Indiana stated as they snuck down the hill to get closer, "When that Ark gets loaded, we're already going to be on that plane."

As they made their way to hijack a plane, a very large and muscular inquisitor spotted Indy and started to fight him while Marion took out the plane's pilot but managed to get locked in the cockpit.

While Indy was having his one-sided fight with the Inquisitor, Marion began to fire at a truck carrying several Inquisitors as the plane began to turn to the left on its own and unleashed a vat of gasoline covering the whole area in the flammable liquid.

"What the hell is wrong with these humans?" Nairbix asked himself as he flipped and tossed several inquisitor grunts that thought they could take him. He then jumped onto the plane and tore off the hatch and helped Marion escape as Indy's inquisitor friend became mulch after being caught in a turbine.

They then ran to safety seconds before the gasoline and plane exploded. As they inquisitors ran around in chaos due to the destruction, Nairbix whistled for Sallah as he ran near their hiding place.

"Holy smokes, my friends! I am so pleased you are not dead!" He cheered, "Indy, Nairbix, we have no time. If you still want the Ark, it is loaded onto a truck for Cairo."

"Truck?" Indy asked.

"What truck?" Nairbix asked as a large gray truck drove passed them. "That truck?" He asked bluntly.

"That truck." Sallah nodded. In a wisp of darkness, Nairbix teleported not only himself, but the others and the Ark back to Cairo where it was safely hidden without the inquisitors even knowing. Later that night, the party enjoyed the celebrations upon the Ark's rescue just before they would have to leave.

"Everything at last has been arranged." Sallah informed happily.

"The Ark?" Indy asked.

"On board." Sallah replied, "Nothing is lacking, now that you're here."

"You trust these guys, Sallah?" Nairbix asked.

"Yes, my friend. Don't worry, your home-world's lost treasure is in good hands." The digger reassured, "Mr. Katanga." He addressed the sailor, "Mr. Katanga, these are my friends. They are my family. I will hear of it if they are not treated well."

"My cabin is theirs." Katanga replied with generosity.

"Ah, actually," Nairbix interjected, "I'd rather my own room. I'll pass on having to overhear any sounds of a happy reunion between these two, if you catch my drift." He said causing his friends to blush and chuckle.

"Goodbye." Indy said to Sallah who pulled him into a strong bear-hug.

"Look out for each other." He pleaded, "I am already missing you."

"You are my good friend." Indy said earnestly as they hugged.

"Sallah," Marion began, "This is for your wife." She said kissing his left cheek, "This is for your children." She said kissing his right, "And this is for you." She finished kissing his lips. After she gave him her goodbye, she joined Indy on their way to the ship and let Nairbix give his farewell.

"Take care of yourself, Sallah. You've helped make amends for what the humans of old did to Narnia. Thank you, for everything." He said sincerely as he pulled his friend into a quick hug before joining the others.

The next morning, Nairbix awoke to the sounds of only the sea and not the engines of the ship. "This is very unsettling." He said before heading up to check with Indy and Katanga.

"What's happening?" He asked as he joined them on deck.

"We have most important friends." Katanga replied with dread.

"Dear mane of the lion." Nairbix muttered as he and Indy looked to see an inquisition submarine on the starboard side. As they watched them board the ship, several inquisitors hoisted the crate containing the Ark out of the cargo hold as they rounded up the crew and Marion.

"She's quite the catch, Indy. But Marion seems to have a knack for getting herself kidnapped." Nairbix muttered to his friend as they hid inside an exhaust pipe. Once they saw the inquisitors leave with the Ark and Marion, the duo jumped into the sea and swam onto the sub and snuck on board just before it submerged.

It took them nearly the whole day to reach the designation, an uninhabited island where they would attempt to understand the Ark's power. After they managed to get off and hide before anyone could notice them, Belloq, Marion, and the other inquisitors exited the sub and discussed their next plan of action.

"The altar has been prepared in accordance with your radio instructions, sir." An inquisitor informed Belloq.

"Good. Take the Ark there immediately." Belloq ordered.

"This isn't good." Nairbix muttered nervously from where he and Indy were hiding. "They plan to open the Ark."

"Yeah, and they'll be punished like you said, right?" Indy asked.

"Them and anyone else who sees what comes out of it." Nairbix replied, "You can avoid the punishment so long as you don't see what's inside. The only thing is, Marion doesn't know this and if she's gonna be there (which she most likely will be) when they open it…she'll be punished too." He said dreadfully.

"Son of a bitch." Indy cursed in anger and fear. Later that evening, the inquisitors carried the Ark with Marion in tow through a cannon that would lead to the altar. As they marched through the rocks and dirt, Nairbix and Indy called out to them from atop a cliff with Keyblade and bazooka in hand.

"Hello!" Indy called holding the bazooka.

"So sorry we're late, hope we haven't missed anything yet!" Nairbix called out to them.

"Jones! VanSull!" Belloq shouted in anger.

"I'm gonna blow up the Ark, Belloq." Indy threatened though it was clearly a bluff.

"Your persistence surprises even me. You're going to give mercenaries a bad name." Belloq said to them.

"Dr. Jones, surely you don't think you can escape from this island." Dietrich questioned.

"That depends on how reasonable we're all willing to be. Besides, this guy can make a portal that can take us to a completely different world in a matter of seconds." Indy retorted gesturing to Nairbix.

"And he can do the same just by squeezing his finger. You want to take that chance?" Nairbix asked.

"If we refuse?" Dietrich asked.

"Then your Grand Inquisitor has no prize." Nairbix replied in anger as Belloq made the guards stand back.

"Okay, Jones. You win! Blow it up." Belloq called back as the guards surrounded him only to back away as he aimed his riffle at them. "Yes, blow it up! Blow it back to God."

"Indy," Nairbix warned softly, "You blow that up and we all get punished and quite frankly, I don't feel like getting my face melted off today."

"It can do that?" He asked quietly.

"That and more." Nairbix replied.

"You've wasted your whole life in pursuit of archaeological relics. Inside the Ark are treasures beyond your wildest aspirations." Belloq taunted, "You want to see it open as well as I. Indiana, we are simply passing through history. This…this is history. Do as you will."

Seeing no other option that would work out for him and his friends, Indy lowered the bazooka and let the inquisitors take them both. As night fell, the inquisitors readied the altar for Belloq while the trio was tied to a pole far away from the Ark.

Dressed in robes, Belloq recited words of meaningless mystics before the Ark. He then had two grunts open it and peered inside only to find sand.

"Let those who dared to see what ought not to be seen, see not nevermore forevermore." Nairbix recited as he closed his eyes, hearing this, his two friends did the same. After they closed their eyes, the surrounding equipment began to surge with unnatural electricity and caused all of the lights to blow out.

Though they could not see it, the sand inside the Ark began glow and create thunder as fog rolled out of it. From the fog, spirits of punishment began to fly from the Ark and circle around the many inquisitors. One that resembled a woman looked directly and Belloq, Dietrich and the sniveling inquisitor just before it took on the appearance of a frightening ghoul.

"Indy?" Marion asked over the roaring wind.

"Don't look, Marion! No matter what happens, keep your eyes shut!" He yelled back while Nairbix continued to recite the old warning.

"Let those who dared to see what ought not to be seen, see not nevermore forevermore!" He cried as the punishment began.

From the Ark, a fountain of fire rose and sent beams of destruction through every last inquisitor's chest. One by one, their bodies either exploded, imploded or melted down to their bones just before the fire gathered them all up and sucked them into the Ark just before the lid returned to its rightful place.

After their bonds were burned by the fire, Nairbix leaped over to pick up the Ark while the two lovers embraced each other.

"Indy," Marion asked shakenly, "Wh-what happened to them?"

"They have been punished." Nairbix said simply as he carried the Ark. After they got off the island and returned to the world's capital, Indy met with Nairbix and Sigurd to discuss the fate of the Ark.

"You've done your world a great service, and we thank you." Sigurd complimented as they sat in a conference room, "We trust that you found the settlement satisfactory."

"Oh, the money's fine." Indy waved off, "The situation's totally unacceptable."

"I guess that just wraps it up." Nairbix muttered bluntly as he slowly spun in his chair.

"Where is the Ark?" Indy asked hotly.

"I thought we'd settle that." Sigurd said calmly, "The Ark is somewhere very safe, Dr. Jones."

"From whom?" He asked.

"People like the inquisition." Nairbix replied.

"The Ark is a source of unspeakable power and it has to be researched." He stressed.

"I know its power, Indy. And don't forget this, the Ark was brought to this world due to the arrogance and mistakes of your kind from this world." Nairbix reminded hotly as he eyes began to blaze. "Be lucky that I don't seek vengeance for my home and people due to your forbearer's mistakes."

"Besides," Sigurd further explained, "It is best that the Ark is removed from this world so that the inquisition doesn't attempt to try to obtain it again."

"I'm sorry, my friend." Nairbix said as he and Sigurd rose from their chairs, "But this final. And it's time for us to go."

"You're leaving?" He asked.

"Sadly, yes. I have a war to go back to and it is most likely that we will never see each other again." Nairbix said sadly with an outstretched hand, "But I hope to be proven wrong. It's been a privilege to work with you, Indiana Jones."

"Likewise, Nairbix VanSull." Indy said as he shook his friend's hand. The two Keyblade wielders then departed the world and returned to the citadel.

"I trust you'll see to it that my master receives this?" Nairbix asked Sigurd as he made a corridor of darkness.

"Indeed. But do you think Yen Sid is capable of keeping such power under control?" Sigurd asked.

"I trust Master Yen Sid with my life as well as my heritage." Nairbix replied softly, "The Ark will be safe with him."

"Nairbix." Sigurd said before his friend went through the corridor. "…Take care of yourself out there, my friend."

"I will, Sigurd, don't worry." Nairbix replied with a warm friendly smirk just before he made his way back to a war that would only end in sadness and despair for the young Narnian.

 **If anyone who was offended by the changes I made surrounding the Ark's history, I'm sorry. But, in my defense, C.S. Lewis (the author of the Chronicles of Narnia) based all of the books on Christian history which is why I decided to make the Ark Narnian. Along with that, I know I cut out the whole car chase scene when the Ark was stolen after the plane scene, but as I keep mentioning, I am not good at writing fight scenes of any kind at all especially when they are that long and take up two movie scenes. Besides, it wouldn't have worked that well with Nairbix in the picture.**

 **And yes, as I clearly pointed out in this chapter, the Nazis were inquisitors. One last thing I've been dying to mention. Has anyone else noticed how similar the characters in Kingdom Hearts and Star Wars are alike?**

 **I mean, come one!**

 **Luke-Sora**

 **Leia-Kairi(just not related to Sora)**

 **Han-Riku**

 **Donald/Goofy-C-3po/R2-D2**

 **Mickey-Obi-Wan**

 **Terra-Vader**

 **Aqua-Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan(a little)**

 **Ventus-Anakin(before becoming Vader)**

 **Yen Sid-Yoda**

 **Vanitas-Count Dooku**

 **Xehanort-Sideous**

 **Eraqus-Windu**

 **Lea-Lando**

 **Guardians of Light-Jedi**

 **Seekers of Darkness/Organization XIII-Sith**

 **Lightsaber-Keyblade**

 **Kingdom Hearts-The Force**

 **I'd be very surprised if I was the only one out there that has made these connections.**


	21. The Pirates who Annoy Everybody

**Hello, loyal readers! In this chapter we go back to the Clone Wars and introduce everyone's favorite space pirate. And no, I don't mean Captain Harlock. Now, before I give the disclaimer, just to let you know, there will be another A.N. at the end. While I don't own anything Disney, Kingdom Hearts, Marvel or Lucasfilms, I hope you enjoy!**

After the darkness cleared, Nairbix found himself back in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant or to be more precise, the debriefing room in the temple where Obi-Wan, Natasha, Yoda and Windu were discussing with each other.

"So, what'd I miss?" Nairbix asked casually.

"Glad you made it back so soon." Obi-Wan said to him as he stroked his beard, "Because we're dealing with a very important mission."

"Really?"

"Well, to be accurate, Anakin is." Natasha clarified, "We sent him on a mission to try and kidnap Dooku after we got a lead on his location. But we recently lost contact with him and we have no idea what happened."

"We were also just about to send Kenobi and Romanoff out to find Skywalker and if need be, assist him for this mission." Windu further explained.

"I see. Mind if I tag along?" Nairbix asked.

"Sure you're not too tired from your last mission?" Natasha asked playfully.

"Come on, what do you take me for, some sort of rookie?" Nairbix asked as he bumped her shoulder.

After the trio and Anakin's squadron along with Ashoka and Noise Maker Squad hitched a ride on a Star Cruiser, they made their way to Anakin's last known location on a Separatist battle ship. To further inspect it, Natasha, Obi-Wan and Nairbix floated through space and entered the ship from the outside.

After they snuck in and found the prisoner cells, Obi-Wan opened a door and checked to see if Anakin was inside. With his back turned, Anakin jumped down from the ceiling only to have all three of his friends point their weapons at his neck.

"Oh, it's you guys." He said to them.

"This is how you thank us for rescuing you, pounce on us from the ceiling?" Natasha asked as they all put away their weapons.

"Kind of difficult without a lightsaber." Anakin retorted before Obi-Wan handed it to him, "Thanks."

"Did you manage to locate Dooku before landing in jail?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Well, I know he's on board. Might have been able to do something about it if I'd had my weapon. It's not like I can just make one appear through magic like Nairbix can." Anakin defended.

"It was important for you to arrive without it so your capture would be convincing." Obi-Wan reminded.

"Oh, they were convinced, all right." Anakin chuckled, "But how come I'm the one getting caught all the time? It doesn't look good."

"Just think of it as a way to show one of you many skills." Nairbix teased as they walked through the hall.

"Hey."

"When you're a Jedi Master, you can make the plan." Natasha replied.

"That's just it. How can I become a master if I'm getting caught all the time?" He asked.

"At least you're a master at getting caught." Obi-Wan joked.

"Very funny." Anakin said sarcastically. As they made their way to the final door, they opened it to find Dooku meditating. "Surprise, surprise." Anakin said as they all readied their weapons.

"If it isn't Count Dooku." Nairbix spat.

"Nairbix VanSull. I thought I sensed an unpleasant disturbance in the Force." Dooku said without opening his eyes. "I see you've freed young Skywalker. Where might he be if you three weren't always around to rescue him?" He asked just as the cruiser began to attack the ship.

"Your ship is surrounded, Count." Natasha informed, "Republic troops are boarding as we speak."

"Jedi fools." Dooku insulted.

"Now that was uncalled for, I'm not even a Jedi." Nairbix joked just before Dooku fell through an escape hatch.

"I should have seen that coming." Obi-Wan growled as Anakin and Natasha peered down the hole, "What are you two doing?" He asked.

"Following him." They replied.

"Not that way." Nairbix denied, "We need to cut him off."

"You guys cut him off. We'll follow him and meet you at the hangar." Natasha said as she and Anakin jumped down in pursuit.

"Why do I even bother?" Obi-Wan asked before facing Nairbix, "Sometimes I think Qui-Gon gave more than just his knowledge and experience to Natasha."

"Trust me, there's not much of a difference between her from back then and now." Nairbix replied as they left to cut them off.

In the escape shoot, the three Force users slid down the tunnel with great speed. Seeing his pursuers, Dooku sent a blast of Force Lightning at them only to see it deflected by their lightsabers. Due to the attack's blinding light, they lost sight of Dooku who escaped in one of two exit shoots.

"Oh, great." Anakin groaned.

"You take that one, I'll take this one." Natasha said as they each jumped down a separate shoot. Once she reached the bottom, Natasha found she chose the correct shoot but saw Dooku make his escape.

She then noticed Obi-Wan and Nairbix make their way to hijack a ship and quickly followed them with a late Anakin at her heels.

"We thought you were following Dooku?" Obi-Wan asked.

"We did. We followed him here." Anakin replied as they flew the ship.

"Ahsoka, Dooku managed to escape." Nairbix informed through his com-link, "We're in pursuit, but we could use some reinforcements. Follow us in what ships you can round up."

"We'll get there as soon as we can." The Padawan replied. As they flew through space, Obi-Wan managed to shoot down Dooku's ship.

"That was easy." Anakin mentioned.

"Lucky for us, I'm an excellent shot." Obi-Wan said praising himself.

"Well, now those fighters are attacking." Natasha calmly pointed out.

"I'm on it." Obi-Wan replied as the enemy ship drew closer.

"Uh, he's getting awfully close." Nairbix said nervously just before one of the ships flew into their right engine.

"Lucky for us, I'm an excellent pilot." Anakin retorted as they started to gain speed and lose altitude.

"And unlucky for us, this sort of flying makes me sick to my stomach." Nairbix moaned as his face began to turn green.

"Oh, not again!" Anakin exclaimed in fear and disgust as they roughly landed on the planet.

"For all your expertise, this is not a very smooth landing." Natasha hissed at Anakin, "And if you had hit that second fighter, we wouldn't be in this mess." She pointed at Obi-Wan as the ship came to an abrupt halt.

"Even I've had better landings." Nairbix groaned as they all jumped out of the ship. The planet they were on was in a word, gray. The sky was gray, the rocks were gray, even the dirt was gray.

"Dooku." Anakin said as he pointed at the Sith's ship. As they walked over to inspect it, Obi-Wan noticed a small electronic attached to its side.

"A homing beacon?" He asked.

"Looks like the distinguished Count is waiting for help. He can't be that far off, then." Nairbix mused while Natasha took a closer look at the ship.

"His engine is damaged, he's not going anywhere." She informed.

"Not without a homing beacon." Anakin added as he destroyed the little device.

"There." Obi-Wan alerted as he pointed to some nearby caves. "Caves are a good start." He said as they walked over to them. As they walked inside, they could all feel multiple life sources.

"Many life forms in there." Nairbix said as he sniffed them out, "And Dooku's one of them." He said as the Jedi ignited their lightsabers to light the way.

"Let's try to get him before something else does; okay, boys?" Natasha asked somewhat playfully. As they walked through the caves, a low rumbling filled the air just before the ceiling collapsed on them.

"Run!" Obi-Wan shouted. Only Anakin didn't jump out of the way in time and was caught under the rubble.

Standing before his handiwork, Dooku used the Force to take Anakin's lightsaber. "You won't be needing this anymore, Skywalker." He said before adding it to his belt and collapsing the entrance. As he ventured out in the open, Dooku came to find that a ship of pirates began to steal his supplies and salvage his ship.

"Well, well." An odd looking pirate began as he faced the Sith Lord, "What do we have here?"

"Who are you?" Dooku asked.

"More importantly, my friend. Who are you?" The pirate asked trying to intimidate the Count.

Back inside the cave, Anakin managed to rid himself of the rubble on top of him and look around for his friends. "Master!" He called, "Natasha, Nairbix! Can you hear me?!"

"Anakin, when we tell you to run, run." Obi-Wan sighed as he and the others dusted themselves off.

"You're alive!" Anakin said happily.

"And where is your lightsaber?" Natasha asked.

"It got knocked out of my hand." He replied.

"By a rock?" Nairbix asked.

"Yeah, by a rock." Anakin snapped as he looked around for it, "It's got to be around somewhere."

"That is a feeble excuse." Obi-Wan lectured.

"You know what would be helpful?" He asked, "A little light."

"Certainly." Obi-Wan complied as he ignited his lightsaber on to see it sputter out. "Silly thing." He said tapping it, "It was working a minute ago."

"You don't suppose it was hit by a rock, do you?" Anakin asked with a smirk.

"Alright, enough with the bickering." Natasha said to them, "Nairbix, would you mind?" She asked.

"Thought you'd never ask." Nairbix replied as he summoned a ball of pale gray light and let it float around the cave. From up above, the spotted a large red four armed gundark snarling at them.

"Well, isn't she an ugly thing?" Nairbix asked as it jumped down to attack them. Thankfully, Natasha's lightsaber was still functioning perfectly so she was able to quickly eliminate the beast.

"You can thank me later. Right now we need to get these rocks out of the way." She said to them as she began to move most of them with the Force. As the three Jedi carefully removed all of the rubble, they were lucky to see Ahsoka with the troopers on the other side.

"Looks like you four managed pretty well." She teased.

"Yeah, but there's still Dooku to deal with." Nairbix reminded.

"You let him get away?" Ahsoka asked.

"No, not get away exactly." Anakin argued, "Just…" He carried earning an unimpressed look from his apprentice, "Chime in at any time." He muttered to his companions to try and save face.

"Oh, no. We're enjoying this far too much." Natasha informed with a devious grin. Back on the cruiser, the party was contacted by Windu and Yoda that Dooku had been captured by space pirates and are holding him for ransom on the nearby planet of Florrum.

"His only stipulation is that you arrive unarmed." Windu informed through the hologram.

"Unarmed?" Anakin questioned hotly.

"We know very little about these pirates." Obi-Wan argued, "We may be walking blind into what could very well be a hostile situation."

"We can't let Dooku slip through our fingers again. Report back as soon as you arrive." Windu dismissed as the transmission ended.

"Well, this should be fun." Obi-Wan said sarcastically.

"Has the key detail that I can summon my weapon and several others without so much as a twitch slipped through everyone's minds?" Nairbix asked only to see his friends smack their foreheads reveling that they had indeed forgotten. "Just goes to show how much you guys pay attention to me." Nairbix said in disappointment as he gently shook his head.

Once the party boarded a ship and came down to the planet, they entered the pirates' base and found the whole place filled with thieves, cutthroats and humorous scumbags. As they were escorted to the table in the back, the came to face Hando, the leader of the band of pirates.

"Gentlemen, milady." He said trying to sound like a proper gentlemen himself, "Can I offer you something to drink?" He asked as he took a drink himself.

"No, thank you." Obi-Wan politely declined.

"Congratulations on your capture of Count Dooku." Natasha complimented, "Very impressive."

"Yes, it was. Eh, even a Sith Lord is no match for my warriors." He said boldly as his brave warriors drank and snoozed. "He put up quite a fight: blasters, cannons, that glowy thing." He said imitating a lightsaber.

"You mean a lightsaber?" Obi-Wan asked.

"That's it." He said, "And I don't need to tell you those things can do some damage." The pirate said as a pet alien hopped over to him carrying Anakin's missing lightsaber.

"Well, that explains that." Nairbix thought.

"Carved up some of my best men pretty good before I could get the jump on him." Hando informed with his silver tongue.

"And how exactly did you get the jump on him?" Nairbix asked doing his best not to sound unimpressed seeing as what Hando was telling them was a lie.

"With this?" Anakin asked as he took back what was his. Doing this, Hando's pirates pulled out their weapons and aimed them at the party; Hando's pet then took back the lightsaber and gave it to its owner.

"We have no interest in disagreeing with you." Obi-Wan reassured, "All we want is to confirm you are holding Dooku, and we'll go."

"I will arrange a meeting." Hando replied, "But first, you must prove that you are capable of making sure this whole ordeal stays interesting." He informed.

"How so?" Anakin asked with a glare.

"Simply find a way to entertain me and my men, and I will allow you to see the Count." Hando replied with a greedy grin. As he said this, an idea popped in Natasha's head.

"Hey, Nairbix." She mumbled, "I think we ought to use plan fifty-three."

"You sure?" He asked as she nodded her head, "Okay, you still remember it?"

"Yep, you?" She asked.

"How could I ever forget something like that?" He asked dryly.

"Very well, Hando. My friend Nairbix and I will provide you with a performance that you'll never forget." Natasha informed.

"Pray that is the case, my dear." Hando growled as his men gave them some space but still kept their guns on them and the others.

"Say, Natasha?" Nairbix asked beginning the performance, "Since we arrived in this galaxy, I've been left utterly speechless. I can't find a word to describe any of this."

"Really?" She asked playing along, "Well, I've been using a rather fascinating word that works quite well."

"Do tell. What is it?" Nairbix asked right before Natasha began to sing.

"Well, it's supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious. If you say it loud enough, you'll always sound precocious." She sang before Nairbix joined in.

"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Um diddle, diddle diddle, um diddle ay.

Um diddle, diddle diddle, um diddle ay.

Um diddle, diddle diddle, um diddle ay.

Um diddle, diddle diddle, um diddle ay." After they sang together, Nairbix began to sing by himself.

"Because I was afraid to speak when I was just a lad, me master gave me nose a tweak and told me I was bad. But then one day I learned the word that saved me achin' nose…" He carried before Natasha jumped back in.

"The biggest word you ever heard and this is how it goes! Oh, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious. If you say it loud enough, you'll always sound precocious. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Um diddle, diddle diddle, um diddle ay.

Um diddle, diddle diddle, um diddle ay.

Um diddle, diddle diddle, um diddle ay.

Um diddle, diddle diddle, um diddle ay."

"He traveled all around the worlds and everywhere he went, he'd use his word and all would say, there goes a cleaver gent." Natasha sang to the pirates as Nairbix continued his part.

"When Dukes and Maharajahs pass the time of day with me, I say me special word and then they ask me out to tea." He sang just before Natasha joined in as the pirates pounded along with the beat.

"Whoo, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious. If you say it loud enough, you'll always sound precocious! Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Um diddle, diddle diddle, um diddle ay. Um diddle, diddle diddle, um diddle ay." They sang before coming to Hando's sides and began to speak to each other.

"Now, you can say it backwards, which is dociousaliexpilisticfragicalirupus. But that's going a bit too far, don't you think?" Natasha asked Nairbix while Hando was smiling nonstop.

"Indubitably." Nairbix nodded as they jumped back and began to sing once more.

"So when the cat has got your tongue, there's no need for dismay." Natasha sang.

"Hear, hear!" Nairbix cried.

"Just summon up this word and then you've got a lot to say. But better use it carefully or it could change your life." She warned as Nairbix came to her wearing a hat and glasses.

"For example." He said.

"Yes?" Natasha asked.

"One night I said it to me girl, and now me girl's me wife." He said only to be smacked in the face by Natasha. As he clutched his face, he continued, "Oh, and a lovely thing she is too." He said with bashful laughter.

"She's…" Natasha carried, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." They both whispered before increasing their volume, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!"

And with that, the song was over, the pirates were cheering and laughing, and the two Jedi were looking at their friends like never before.

"Bravo! Haha!" Hando cheered as he clapped happily, "Congratulations, my friends. You now have my full permission to see Dooku." He said as he led them and the other Jedi to the holding cells.

As they were being escorted, Anakin and Obi-Wan finally expressed their reactions to the performance. "What the hell was that?" Anakin asked them in a hush.

"Oh, that?" Natasha asked, "That was just a little something we came up with when we were kids. Pretty creative, huh?"

"What does that word even mean?" Obi-Wan asked.

"It's a word you use when you don't know what to say." Nairbix replied as though it were obvious.

"People from their galaxy are so weird." Anakin muttered to Obi-Wan who nodded.

"Indubitably." Obi-Wan agreed before breaking into a smile at the play on words before they entered Dooku's cell and saw him being held in suspension.

"Well, look how the mighty Sith Lord has fallen." Natasha stated smugly, "Looks like the suspension field is on the other shmuck, huh, Dooku?" She asked recalling how he had her and her two friends back on Geonosis.

"I'm shocked to hear you speak to me, Master Romanoff. I half expected you and young VanSull to grant me with a performance like what you gave to our esteemed hosts." Dooku teased.

"Perhaps we will after we take you in." She replied with a fake smile.

"I'm confident the situation will rectify itself soon." Dooku informed.

"Soon you'll be brought to trial by the Senate and most likely spend a very long time in a cell just like this one." Obi-Wan replied with just as much confidence.

"And that's if you're lucky." Anakin added, but Dooku just shook his head.

"Oh, my naïve young friends." He sighed, "You must be overly optimistic if you think these Weequayans plan to let you leave this planet."

"They're planet-hopping thieves looking for a quick score." Nairbix scoffed, "They have no interest in picking a fight with the Jedi."

"They are devious and deceitful," Dooku listed off, "And, most importantly, stupid." He finished flatly.

"It's a wonder you don't get along with them, Dooku. You have so much in common." Natasha insulted as they walked out the cell.

"You underestimate them at your own peril, Romanoff." Dooku warned as the door shut. As the party went back outside, the struck up a conversation.

"I don't know about you guys, but I could use some rest." Anakin confessed.

"Remember, Anakin, this could still be a trap." Obi-Wan reminded.

"You're not worried about Dooku, are you?" Nairbix asked.

"No, I'm worried about these pirates." He replied as he saw one punch a little alien for bumping into him while another joined in for no apparent reason.

"Jedi!" A pirate called in front of them, "Now that your business is completed, we invite you to join us in the grand hall for a banquet. And a true Weequay banquet is not to be missed." He offered.

"Thank you, we accept." Natasha replied. Later that day, the party contacted Coruscant to inform the situation.

"No question they have Dooku. Send the ransom." Obi-Wan informed.

"He's being securely held?" Palpatine asked.

"Yeah." Anakin chuckled, "And very cranky about it."

"Good. Senator Kharrus and Representative Binks will be dispatched immediately." The Chancellor informed. Later on at the party, the group were witnessing what the pirates considered to be entertainment. As they were watching, Hando came over to speak with them.

"Now can I persuade you join us for a drink?" He asked like he was an old friend, "It's a tradition, in the name of friendship."

"Alright, but nothing too strong. He's flying." Obi-Wan joked as his indicated to Anakin.

"Bring our guests some…refreshments." Hando ordered as a waitress slipped something in their drinks. As she brought them over, the party eyed their drinks suspiciously. "To a successful transaction." Hando cheered. As the pirates raised their glasses, the four guests were able to quickly switch their drinks.

"To powerful pirates and new friends of the Republic." Obi-Wan added.

"Enjoy your evening, gentlemen and milady." Hando said as he left the room.

"I still don't get it." Anakin confessed.

"Get what?" Nairbix asked.

"How a bunch of drunken pirates managed to catch Dooku when we couldn't." He replied.

"Maybe there's a lesson to be learned here." Natasha suggested.

"Sigh, I still don't get it though."

"It's to remind us to be humble and never too proud to accept a gift when it comes our way." Obi-Wan responded wisely.

"Well, to unexpected gifts, then." Nairbix praised as he rose his glass.

"Hear, hear." Obi-Wan quoted as the unfortunate individuals who they switched glasses with passed out.

"Hey!" Natasha and Nairbix exclaimed as they caught on to their friend's reference regarding their song. Though they didn't know it, later on, they were once again given drugged beverages. Only this time, they drank them.

The next day, they found themselves on the floor of a not-so-cozy cell with shackles on them. "Ugh, Master?" Anakin groaned as he woke up with the others.

"Oh, my head. What happened last night?" Nairbix asked feeling similar effects to that of a hangover.

"Looks like that pirate booze was stronger than we thought." Natasha answered, "Ugh, and I thought my mom's homemade vodka had a kick."

"We were drugged, obviously." Obi-Wan provided.

"Why would they risk losing the ransom?" Anakin asked.

"Because the deal undoubtedly changed." Nairbix replied, "They've most likely found some way to triple their pay."

"A shrewd observation, Master Nairbix." Dooku said making himself known. Apparently, he had been there the whole time.

"Oh, great." Anakin said sarcastically, "It's you."

"I did warn you these pirates were devious." He reminded, "You will notice our shackles are bound together." He growled in annoyance, "I have tried to separate us, to no avail."

"Yay!" Natasha falsely cheered, "Now we're all connected by one big damn friendship bracelet!"

"It's bad enough we have to be in the same cell, but could you at least spare me the sound of your constant chatter?!" Anakin asked the Count hotly as Obi-Wan held him back.

"Clearly," Nairbix said glancing at Dooku, "He's still a bit miffed at you for cutting off his arm."

"Clearly." The Sith agreed, "And while I hold my tongue, the four of you will devise a brilliant strategy for getting off this Godforsaken planet?" He asked.

"Yes!" They all snapped.

"Excellent." Dooku said ever-so calmly.

"But first, I have an idea." Nairbix informed.

"Wonderful." Dooku replied rolling his eyes, "And how, pray tell, are you going to get us out?"

"I find that you question the bloke with the big magical key to be hilarious, Count." Nairbix replied dryly as he summoned Heartbreaker and used it to unlock the cell door.

"Hmm, my apologies, sir bloke." Dooku joked.

"…Okay, I'll admit, I walked right into that one and I'll give you points for that. But I'm still the one who opened the door and has a weapon so don't test me." He warned.

"Point taken." Dooku acknowledged as they began their escape.

"We do know where we're going, don't we?" Anakin asked as they snuck through the halls.

"Hush, Anakin." Obi-Wan scolded.

"…Do we know where we're going?" Natasha asked.

"Quiet." Dooku ordered as he knocked out a guard, "I was brought this way when I was captured. Perhaps our Keyblade wielding friend can dig into his bag of tricks and find the way out, though?" Dooku asked with a glare.

"I'm a True Master, not a miracle worker." He replied dryly.

"Then as a True Master, could you rid us of these infernal shackles?!" Dooku hissed.

"I can't unlock something if I don't know where the bloody keyhole or lock is, now can I?!" Nairbix asked hotly.

"I found the door key so you can stop arguing." Anakin informed as he pickpocketed the unconscious pirate.

"This is the way to the hangar." Dooku informed.

"Alright, but are you sure it's safe?" Natasha asked.

"The key works." Anakin whispered.

"Is it safe?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Of course it is." Dooku replied as the door opened to reveal several armed pirates.

"Or not." Natasha said bluntly as more pirates joined in from behind.

"Hold it right there, Jedi." One of them warned. Next thing they knew, they were back in their cell.

"What were we thinking?!" Anakin rhetorically asked as Hando paced around them all, "Following a Sith Lord?!"

"Oh, what to do? What to do? What to do?" He muttered, "I don't want to kill you, per se." He admitted, "In fact, you seem like decent fellows and a respectable lady…even you, Count. This is just business."

"Well, that makes me feel a whole lot better." Natasha mumbled sarcastically.

"Once I get my money, we can go back to being friends." Hando said to them as though he were glad. "Now, try not to complicate things by breaking out again." He warned as he left the cell.

"We have to get out of here before the Republic arrives with the ransom." Obi-Wan stressed.

"For once, I agree with you." Dooku admitted as they walked over to the guard at the door.

"You do not want to stand guard." Natasha said as she performed a Jedi mind trick.

"I do not want to stand guard." The pirate repeated dumbly.

"You want to deactivate the cell bars and…go out drinking." She further ordered.

"I want to deactivate the cell bars and go out drinking." He said happily just before doing so.

"Not bad." Anakin remarked while Dooku gave yet another sarcastic remark of his own as they continued.

"Oh, hurry it up, Dooku!" Obi-Wan growled as they hid from more pirates.

"You should be more patient, Obi-Wan." Nairbix teased quietly, "After all, the Count is an elderly gentleman and doesn't move like he used to."

"I suppose you're right, Nairbix." Obi-Wan agreed while Anakin and Natasha chuckled.

"I would kill all four of you right now if I did not have to drag your bodies." Dooku growled, "And you should learn to respect your elders, young VanSull."

"And I would if I was near any." He replied honestly. Hearing this, they all turned to look at him in confusion.

"Just how old are you, Nairbix?" Anakin asked.

"Ninety-six…give or take." He replied nonchalantly, "In Narnian years." He clarified as they made it outside. "Anyway, we just have to make it past that wall, now." He informed as the pirates found them.

With several long pipes next to them, Anakin used one of them to propel them all to the edge of the wall; unfortunately for him, he was the only one to grab the edge and carry their weight.

"This is not going well." He groaned as the pirates shot at them. As luck would have it, one of the blasts severed Dooku from the line but caused him to fall to his death. This was halted, however, thanks to Nairbix grabbing him.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Anakin asked completely unaware while the weight increased, "Too heavy. Drop Dooku!" He pleaded as Hando stood before him and sighed.

"I guess this means we won't be friends." He said grimly. Back in the cell, the quintet was once again having another discussion.

"We have to get out of here before Senator Kharrus and Jar Jar arrive." Obi-Wan stressed.

"How many times is he going to say that?" Nairbix groaned in his mind.

"I think it's time we lose the dead weight." Anakin suggested as he got up in Dooku's face. Just as he did this, the door opened to reveal three pirates.

"Hey, you four." A pirate said to everyone but Dooku, "Come with us." He commanded. As they were brought back to the main room, each of them were held in restraints for all to see.

"I'm guessing the Republic didn't arrive with the ransom?" Natasha asked Hando as he inspected them. Hearing this, all the surrounding pirates simply laughed.

"Ah, your Republic obviously doesn't want the Sith Lord." Hando replied smugly.

"They didn't show?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Oh, oh, they did." Hando replied, "They did show…with a huge army that they thought would be enough to get the better of me, Hando!"

"That can't be right." Anakin flat out said to him.

"Are you calling me a liar?" He hissed.

"Uh, isn't that what you kind of do for a living?" Nairbix asked bluntly.

"You reject my hospitality, refuse to wait in your cell, and now you're going to insult me?!" Hando asked.

"Hey, the truth hurts." Nairbix shrugged before Hando electrocuted them. But before it lasted for too long, the power suddenly cut off and the energy restraints shut down.

"What happened to the power?! I was having fun!" Hando exclaimed.

"Jar Jar?" Nairbix asked as they picked themselves off the floor.

"Jar Jar." Natasha nodded as she and the two Jedi took back their lightsabers and Nairbix summoned Heartbreaker. Not a moment later, Anakin managed to get behind Hando and kept his lightsaber close to his neck as they slowly escaped.

"What chance do you really have, Jedi?" Hando asked, "Now let me go, and I may let you live."

"I think I like the scenario where we don't let you go and we most certainly live a lot more." Nairbix said not taking his eyes off the armed pirates in front of them.

"Agreed." The three Jedi responded as several tanks came behind them.

"Looks like your forces were destroyed, Jedi." Hando smirked before one of the tank's pilots showed himself.

"Ani! Obi! Nairbi! Nattie!" Jar Jar called happily from the tank.

"Good call." Anakin praised his two friends.

"Mesa have arrived with the spicen." He informed proudly.

"Good work, pal." Nairbix nodded in praise. "Let's hope these self-profiting gentlemen here still have Dooku to trade." He said as they all saw a ship fly off with Dooku in it.

"Well, that answers that question." Anakin stated as they made their way to the nearest ship.

"So what now, Jedi?" Hando asked, "You going to arrest me, eh?"

"Nah," Natasha replied, "Anakin, release him."

"What?!"

"Captain, you have nothing we want, and since we're not prisoners anymore, you have no bargaining power." She said to the pirate.

"What?!" Jar Jar cried, "Yousa was in bombad trouble again?!" He asked before cheering, "Mesa rescued you!"

"No, Jar Jar," Anakin said gently, "We weren't in any trouble."

"Can we just leave on even terms and get out of here already?!" Nairbix asked hotly before stomping onboard the ship while the pirates tried to attack.

"Hold, hold!" Hando stopped, "Jedi, after everything, you're just going to walk away?"

"Yes!" Natasha and Nairbix yelled.

"We have no quarrel with you, and we seek no revenge." Obi-Wan informed a bit more calmly.

"Very honorable, Master Jedi. I don't know what to say." Hando replied with a proud smile.

"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." Anakin provided out of the blue; hearing this, the clones and Jar Jar looked at him with very confused looks.

"Yousa 'feelin okey-day, Ani?" Jar Jar asked.

"No, Jar Jar-you don't understand." He quickly defended as he became embarrassed, "Guys, tell 'em!" He pleaded to the two performers.

"Oh, Anakin," Nairbix said softly as he placed a hand on his shoulder, "I think your inner geek is showing." He said before sniffing him, "And it smells like loser." He finished as he and Natasha tried to contain their laughter.

"What?!" He shrieked, "Why you-" He ranted as they all boarded the ship and took off.

 **Bet no one was expecting that to be in this chapter, huh? Yeah, that was something that popped into my head several months ago and I really wanted to write it to mix things up, and yes, the dance movements were the same here as it was in Marry Poppins. And if anyone was baffled by the use of British slang I gave Nairbix, allow me to explain.**

 **While I haven't really had him show it before, Nairbix does in fact have an English accent. Makes sense since his home world was Narnia (a British fairy tale world) and the second world he lived in was set in a fairy tale time of Europe and that everyone in both of those worlds spoke in those very same accents. To be honest, I just remembered that and have now decided to develop his future dialect to include that. And no, Natasha does not have a British accent or a Russian accent. She can speak Russian due to her parents being Russian, but she speaks with what would be considered an American accent. Like Scarlet Johanson.**

 **Which reminds me, this Natasha is not specifically played by Scarlet. To be honest, that was the one face I have least imagined for this version. I'm not saying that image is out, but with all the cartoon, video game and anime designs for her, go with anyone of them. I don't care.**

 **Along with that, I realize I haven't explained that little stunt he pulled in the clone wars movie with the two laser swords. Yes, they were based off of Xemnas's blades but for a good reason. As you may or may not recall, I had Riku point out that his chains attack was similar to Xemnas's vines of darkness technique in The Vengeful Key. The reason is, is that I have made it where those sort of techniques are techniques gained when you begin to become a True Master. So anything that I might type that seems based off of techniques used by Xehanort or Eraqus that the other wielders of the Keyblade couldn't do, it is because Nairbix developed those techniques as he became a True Master. Trust me, you'll see more as the Clone Wars go on.**

 **Oh, and if anyone wants another experiment fiasco chapter, let me know and tell me what experiments you want. Thanks to the spin-off anime series of Lilo and Stich, they're are more options than from the original series.**


	22. The Battle of Geonosis (Round 2)

**Alright, I know that this has taken me a while, but in my defense I was very busy these past few months. No matter, I'm back and I have managed to merge three episodes for you into this chapter. While there are technically four, I couldn't make the last one work out so I decided to skip it. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this one.**

 **And as always, I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, Marvel (for Natasha), Star Wars or anything under Disney's rights. Oh, by the way, the new Star Wars was pretty good but a lot like A New Hope. If you've already seen the new one and haven't made those connections, think carefully and you'll see it.**

Several weeks had passed since the attempt to capture Dooku and as always, there was more work to be done. Currently, Nairbix, Ki-Adi Mundi and Obi-Wan were looking out the window of a Jedi cruiser at the sight of Geonosis, the planet that hosted the first battle of the Clone Wars.

"I cannot believe we're back here again." Obi-Wan said in disbelief.

"It is unfortunate." Mundi agreed, "The resistance from the native Geonosians was stronger than we anticipated."

"The same can be said for their loyalty to Count Dooku. Which is often overlooked." Nairbix added.

"Indeed, Master VanSull." Mundi nodded as Anakin, Natasha, Wall-E and Ahsoka entered the bridge.

"You're late." Obi-Wan growled to them.

"Sorry, Master." Anakin said in a not so sorry tone, "The three of us were busy routing the Seppies near Dorin."

"My squadron alone had fifty-five kills." Ahsoka bragged.

"Yeah, but mine had seventy-six." He playfully retorted while Natasha snorted.

"You two may think that those are big numbers, but me and Wall-E managed to take out two-hundred and thirty seven all on our own. Of course, that's to be expected when you have the greatest co-pilot in the galaxy." She said as she petted Wall-E's head who happily pressed it against her palm.

"Show-off." The duo grumbled.

"Well, I'm glad the three-ahem, four of you enjoyed yourselves." Obi-Wan corrected at the sight of Natasha's glare when he excluded Wall-E.

"Hey, it's just a little friendly competition, Master. Nothing to worry about." Anakin reassured.

"What I'm worried about is the way this war seems to be drawing out with no end in sight."

"Which is why it is crucial our invasion of Geonosis meets with success." Nairbix reminded.

Later in the debriefing room, the party looked to the holograms of Yoda, Windu and Palpatine with the hologram of Jedi Master Luminara next to them. "Our ships are in position, and we're ready to begin our campaign against the Geonosians." Natasha informed.

"And what about Poggle?" Windu asked regarding the Geonosians' leader, "Any report on his location?"

"It seems he's holed up at the primary droid foundry here." Nairbix replied as he pointed at the holo-map, "The factory is protected by a shield generator. Anakin, Ki-Adi, Natasha, Obi-Wan and I shall attempt a five-pronged attack through their defense lines to a staging area just short of the shield. Once we have landed, we shall knock out the shield generator. That is our primary target."

"Isn't it risky committing five generals to one area of the attack?" Palpatine asked in concern, "If something went wrong, we could be dealt a serious blow."

"To ensure that rise again Geonosis does not, capture Poggle we must." Yoda replied.

"Of course." He nodded, "As always, I shall leave the strategy to you, Master Jedi." Palpatine complimented as the Jedi respectfully nodded while Nairbix gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"It was my idea. If one more person excludes me or treats me like I'm a Jedi, I'm going to lose it." He thought.

"Our thanks, Chancellor." Obi-Wan replied.

"May the Force be with you." Windu prayed as their transmission ended. From behind, Rex, Spades, Cody, Natasha's clone commander Wulfric, and Mundi's commander entered the room to further explain the plan of attack.

"Good, Wulfric." Natasha addressed, "These are the coordinates for the rendezvous."

"Yes, sir." He replied.

"When we hit the ground, we'll create a perimeter there." Spades informed, "General Mundi will come across the defensive lines from the north. We will make our assault through the middle. Generals Skywalker and Romanoff will make their attack on the defensive lines from the south, and we will meet at the rendezvous point at 0700 exactly."

"If we meet with strong resistance and are forced away from the landing zone, hold out until we join our forces before attacking the shield generator." Mundi advised.

"Their front lines are heavily fortified." Ahsoka pointed out, "Look at that giant wall with all the gun emplacements. That part won't be easy to get past."

"Don't worry. We're not going anywhere near that." Anakin reassured.

"Come now." Obi-Wan teased, "What happened to all the enthusiasm I saw earlier?"

"Don't worry about us. You just make sure you get yourselves to that landing zone in one piece." Natasha reminded.

"Yes. Nairbix and I shall be waiting for you when you finally arrive." Obi-Wan mocked.

"My friends, if you are quite finished, we have a battle to begin." Luminara reminded.

"That we do." Nairbix agreed, "Spades, you and Cody prep the gunships. We'll meet you in the hangar." He ordered as he and Obi-Wan exited the room.

In the hangar, the two generals walked over to the gunships as the spoke with their clones. "No, sir, I wasn't involved on the first assault on Geonosis." Cody replied to Obi-Wan's question.

"Well, you didn't miss much." He replied dryly, "Last time, Nairbix and I were each chained to a pole and attacked by several humongous monsters before Natasha nearly blew up a quarter of the planet."

"That sounds…entertaining." Cody responded unsure if it was the appropriate response.

"It was…for the Geonosians." Nairbix replied just before the gunship's door shut leaving behind Spades and Cody. As soon as the ships began to soar over to the factory, they were quickly greeted with cannon fire from the Geonosians.

Back in the hangar, the two Jedi, Padawan, and droid entered their gunship. "Are we all ready, Rex?" Anakin asked.

"Yes, sir." He replied, "Generals VanSull and Kenobi are already underway."

"Well, they've got a head start. We'll just have to catch up with them." Natasha suggested. After flying for several minutes, their gunship was shot down.

"Come on, get up!" Anakin ordered the dazed clones, "We have to keep moving." He then pushed off the broken blast door and led the troops into the battle.

"They're falling back. Come on!" Ahsoka shouted over the gunfire. Back with Cody and Noise Maker squad, he received a message from Mundi's trooper.

"Cody, come in! Get the tanks down!" He cried.

"Copy that." He calmly responded, "Pilot, begin landing sequence."

"Copy that, commander. Have fun down there." The pilot joked. Once the tanks were on the ground, the clones began their attack.

"Move it! Move it!" Jackal shouted.

"Here they come. Bugs incoming!" Spades cried.

"Man down! Man down!" Kul alerted.

"General Kenobi, don't land." Cody warned, "The zone is hot!"

"But there's nowhere else to go!" Obi-Wan shouted as his and Nairbix's ship received cannon fire. "We're hit. We're going down!"

As the ship began to plumet to the ground, Nairbix shouted to the troops, "Brace yourselves!"

Back with the other group, Rex came from behind the three Jedi to relay the message he had just received from Cody.

"Copy that, Cody. I'll speak with the generals."

"Rex, what's the word?" Anakin asked, "Can Obi-Wan and Nairbix send reinforcements or not?"

"I don't think so, sir." The Clone replied, "Cody and Spades said that they never reached the landing site. They think their ship got shot down."

"Great." Anakin spat, "The one time I actually ask for Obi-Wan and Nairbix's help, they're nowhere to be found." Just then, Natasha and Ahsoka jumped back to them.

"Well, what if something happened to them?" Ahsoka asked, "They could be injured or-"

"No time for that kind of talk." Natasha cut off, "Rex, Wulfric, we need to mobilize now. Get the men together. We're gonna rush the guns." She informed.

"Yes, sir." They replied.

"Ahsoka, you're with us. We need to give Rex and Wulfric cover when we attack." Anakin informed.

"Got it. Just give the word." She replied still thinking about Nairbix and Obi-Wan.

"Hey," Natasha alerted, "We're worried about them too. But you have to keep your mind in the here and now, otherwise we'll never be able to help Nairbix or Obi-Wan."

"All here, generals." Wulfric alerted with the rest of the troopers.

"Ready…now!" Natasha shouted as the jumped into the heat of the battle.

"Go, go, go!" Cody shouted.

"Take 'em out! Take 'em all out!" Wulfric shouted as they charged.

Near the area where the two generals' ship crashed. Cody sent two clones named Waxer and Boil to rescue them and any surviving clones.

"Why do we always get the fun missions?" Waxer asked as they reached the ship.

"Oh, this isn't the fun part." Boil disagreed, "The fun part is getting back to the square." He replied as they opened the blast door to fin survivors.

"Waxer, Boil, are we glad to see you." Obi-Wan coughed. "Trapper, Nairbix and I are the only ones still alive."

"Good to see you, sirs." Boil greeted as he helped them up, "Commander Cody and Colonel Spades have established the square this position. The bugs are on the move and are trying to surround us as we speak, sirs."

As they made their way over to the square, Spades spotted them and alerted Cody. "They've got the generals."

"AT-TE 636, lay down cover fire at 0.35." Cody contacted, but before the tank could respond, it was blasted away by the Geonosians.

"Damnit, they took out the tank." Cody cursed, "Waxer, the bugs just took out the tank. We cannot provide cover fire. Repeat, we cannot provide cover fire."

"Don't worry, Cody, I can get those bugs off of us." Nairbix informed just before turning around to stare down his enemy.

"Nairbix, what are you doing?!" Obi-Wan cried.

"Just go! I've got this! Whatever you do, make sure the men do not attack it!" He ordered.

"Attack what?!" Obi-Wan shouted. But Nairbix gave no reply as his body became enveloped in darkness. As it grew, it began to rise like a fountain behind Nairbix and take on a new form entirely.

"Come to me, Guardian!" Nairbix shouted. From behind, a dark figure appeared, it was a dark skinned, muscular, and legless being that wore a tattered red hood and robes. Beneath its hood were two round yellow eyes that lacked any sort of iris or pupil. As it appeared, it made two powerful punches before flexing its razor sharp claws and crossing its arms.

"Bring forth calamity!" Nairbix shouted as the Guardian flew off to destroy the Geonosians. As it soared through the air, it easily dodged all the incoming attacks as it tore each of the unfortunate bugs it came across to shreds. It even went as far as to unleash a powerful crimson sonic wail attack at them for good measure.

"General VanSull certainly is full of surprises, eh, General Kenobi?" Waxer asked in awe of the Guardian's display of power.

"That he is. And yet, I can easily tell that he has yet to show us his true power." Obi-Wan mussed.

As this battle raged on, Natasha, Anakin, Ahsoka and the clones made their way to the fortress that they had originally planned on avoiding. Once they arrived at its base, the droids perched at the top began to fire at their position.

"Well, this is another fine mess the two of you have gotten us into." Ahsoka teased once they took cover.

"What? Hey, this is not our fault." Anakin and Natasha defended.

"You were the one to study the holomaps anyway." Anakin reminded.

"I did!" Ahsoka shouted back, "Remember when I reminded you about the giant wall, and you said, 'Don't worry, Snips. We won't be anywhere near that.'"

"Just get ready to climb." Natasha waved off as she blew a stray hair out of her face.

"What's the plan, General?" Wulfric asked.

"Just keep us covered, Wulfric." Natasha replied.

"There's too much laser fire for all of us to make the climb. Ahsoka, Natasha and I will handle it. Just be ready when that wall comes down." Anakin informed. As they raced over to the wall, they quickly made their way to the top of the nearest cliff and began to take out the droids with their own laser bolts.

"How many droids have you shot down so far?" Anakin asked his Padawan.

"Twenty-five." Ahsoka replied.

"Ah, you're falling behind." He teased.

"Let's go." Natasha declared as they jumped down to further eradicate the droids. Once they took out the last droid, they turned their focus to the guns alongside the wall. "Look for a hatch." Natasha ordered, "We need to put the explosives inside the wall."

Ahsoka then noticed an open hole behind her. "Found one." She called, but suddenly, a Destroyer droid sprang out of the hole and began to attack them; unfortunately, another came up from the other side as well.

As they deflected each of the blasts, Rex managed to get behind one and blast its head off while Wulfric did the same.

"Hey," A battle droid asked from one of the holes, "Did you get them?"

"Here, catch." Natasha alerted the droid as they tossed it the charges.

"What? No!" It cried as Anakin used the Force to plunge it into the wall's depths.

"Let's get out of here." Natasha offered. Ahsoka then used the Force to lift the two clones and throw them over the wall. Once they safely landed on the ground, the two Clones scowled at their generals behind their helmets.

"Next time, just tell us to jump." They growled.

"Where's the fun in that?" Anakin and Natasha asked playfully.

"Come on, we can't keep Obi-Wan and Nairbix waiting." Anakin urged as they ran off.

"You heard him, lads. Let's go!" Rex shouted. As they ran, Ahsoka spotted what seemed to be a battle in an upper cavern. Oddly enough, they managed to see multiple Geonosians screeching in anguish due to the fact they were set on fire.

"Master Mundi, do you read me?" Natasha asked via her comlink.

"We are here, Romanoff." He replied, "We took a slight detour that put us out of communications for a bit."

"This has been a day for detours, Master." Natasha replied bluntly.

"Indeed. But now the road is clear. I can see the landing zone. It does not look good." Mundi gravely informed.

"Can you get me Admiral Yularen?" Anakin asked. Thankfully, they were successful in contacting the Admiral. "Admiral, we're at the breaking point. Can you send reinforcements?"

"You're in luck, General Skywalker, I have one squadron available." Yularen informed, the reinforcements quickly gave their support and allowed the troops to overcome the bugs. Inside the square, the four Jedi found the injured Obi-Wan resting against boxes of cargo.

"Well, what happened to you?" Anakin asked smirking.

"I might ask you the same question." Obi-Wan retorted.

"Wait a minute, where's Nairbix?" Ahsoka asked.

"Oh, he and his friend are having fun." Obi-Wan replied bluntly as he jerked his thumb at Nairbix wiping out the Geonosians with his chains while the Guardian continued to wail and shred them.

"Did you know that he could do that?" Anakin muttered to Natasha as he pointed at the Guardian.

"I had no idea." She replied bluntly. After Nairbix drove off the remaining bugs, the group gathered together to discuss their next plan of attack.

"Our combined forces should be enough to destroy the shield generator." Obi-Wan explained, "Anakin, you and Natasha will need to take a small squad through the shield. As close as you can get to their gun emplacements. From there, you'll be able to temporarily jam their scanners so they are unable to target the incoming tanks.

"Once the tanks knock out the shield, Master Mundi can bring the rest of the troops in with the gunships."

"Consider it done, Master." Anakin nodded.

Once each group departed for the designated areas, the attacks began. With Natasha, she, Anakin, Ahsoka and the clones charged at the enemy just before they took cover. "Let's jam their signals." Natasha ordered, "Droid poppers ready."

They then threw the poppers over the hill. This caused all of the machines to short circuit and give out rendering the bugs without their signals. "Looks like it's working." Ahsoka pointed out.

"It won't last long." Anakin reminded, "Bring up the tanks."

Once the tanks did their job, the shield generator came down and allowed the gunships to attack the remaining forces. After the battle ended, Anakin and Natasha helped Obi-Wan limp over to the gunship that would send him to safety with Mundi.

"So, Masters, what was your totals?" Ahsoka playfully asked.

"Not now, Ahsoka." Anakin replied.

"Come on. Are you afraid your Padawan beat you?" Natasha teased.

"Fine. Fifty-five, that's my count." He replied, "And you?"

"Sixty." Ahsoka replied happily, "Looks like I won."

"Yeah, but I called in the airstrike. Tie!" Anakin retorted.

"You're impossible." Ahsoka said rolling her eyes.

"By the way, how many did you get, Natasha?" Anakin asked.

"Considering that we were once again up against an entire army and planet of enemies, I killed a whopping total of twelve-hundred and eighty-two." She replied flatly.

"Twelve-hundred and eighty two." Nairbix mussed as he sat on a crate with his Keyblade imbedded in a Geonosian's head. "That's not bad for a redhead Jedi princess. I myself am sitting pretty on twelve-hundred and eighty- _three_." He said smugly. In a quick fit of anger, Natasha took a nearby blaster and shot the Geonosian startling everyone; especially Nairbix.

"Twelve-hundred and eighty-three." She said just as smugly.

"It was already dead." Nairbix growled.

"It was twitching." Natasha defended.

"It was twitching because its got my Keyblade imbedded in its nervous system!" He shouted while shifting his weapon to prove his point. The following day, the group of four and the Clones prepared themselves for the next attack while the awaited Master Luminara to join them.

"This bridge is our first waypoint." Ahsoka informed as she showed the troopers the holomap, "Focus your fire on the gun emplacements here and here, because it's only-"

"Because it's only after we neutralize the guns that we can push for the factory." Anakin interjected.

"I was…yes. We can push for the factory." Ahsoka grumbled, "Now, expect stiff resistance from-"

"And don't forget to top off your energy cells and ration packs." Anakin interrupted yet again. Seeing this Ahsoka looked pissed while Nairbix and Natasha looked angered. "Once we leave, there will be no re-supply. Anything else, Ahsoka?"

"No. I think you pretty much covered everything…in my briefing." She replied.

"Very well. Squad dismissed." Anakin announced, once the squad left, Anakin turned to his friends and apprentice. "So, what's next?"

"You know, Master," Ahsoka said gently, "My briefings might go better if you didn't interrupt me every time I try to-"

"I wasn't interrupting, I was trying to help you." Anakin defended as he once again interrupted her.

"Which I would appreciate if you didn't interrupt me to do it." She retorted, "I just think you don't trust me to give the briefing."

"It's not about trust." Anakin snapped, "It's about getting the job done right."

"Ah, so you don't trust me to get the job done right. I knew it." Ahsoka snapped causing Anakin to groan.

"Snips, I never said-"

"No. No, it's okay. I understand." Ahsoka stopped, "I'm the Padawan. You're the Master." She huffed while the gunships landed nearby.

"Sigh, Luminara's here. I'll go get her." Nairbix said to Natasha as he walked off. Once he reached the ships, he greeted Master Luminara and a younger female that belonged to her species; most likely her Padawan.

"Hello, Luminara. We've been waiting." Nairbix greeted with a respectful nod. As they went to join the others, Luminara noticed the duo still bickering.

"At it again, are they?" She asked.

"'Again', Master?" Her apprentice asked.

"Let's just say that they have a penchant for playing loose with your regulations and rules of command." Nairbix replied flatly.

"Well, if you don't trust me, then maybe you should send me back." Ahsoka suggested.

"Oh, don't tempt me, Snips." Anakin replied.

"Oh, for the love of God. Shut the hell up!" Natasha shouted.

"If you're both finished with you little discussion, we do have a factory to destroy." Luminara reminded, she then turned to her Padawan and stiffly reminded her to introduce herself. "Well, Barriss, aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

"Padawan learner Barriss Offee at your service." She introduced with a respective curtsey. Anakin then looked at Ahsoka smugly as though he thought that was how she should act. She simply scrunched her nose at him in response.

"Glad to meet you. I'm Ahsoka." She greeted.

"It's good to see you both again." Anakin added.

"I wish it were under more peaceful circumstances." Luminara replied. Once they pulled up the holomap, they began to plan their next move. "A frontal assault is risky. Our losses will be high."

"But not as high as they'll be if that factory comes online." Nairbix reminded.

"Indeed, but there is an alternative. Every Geonosian building has a series of catacombs beneath it that run deep underground." Luminara explained.

"Some of the tunnels are close enough to this cliff wall so that you could cut a hole and make an entry point." Barriss added before Luminara continued.

"Once inside, we could find the main reactor, plant the explosives, and blow the factory inside out."

"Oh, that looks like a good way to get lost, if you ask me." Natasha mussed.

"For the unprepared yes, but I have instructed Barriss to memorize the labyrinth, all two-hundred junctions." Luminara replied.

"You always were thorough." Anakin commented.

"It pays for one to be prepared. Right, Barriss?" She asked.

"Especially when other people's lives depend on your success." Barriss added.

"How do we keep the Geonosians occupied while someone else is setting the bombs?" Ahsoka asked.

"Good point, Snips." Nairbix praised, "If whoever's going in there is going to be successful, we'll need to create a diversion."

"Precisely." Luminara agreed, "Which is why the task will be carried out by the four of us, while the destruction of the factory falls to the Padawans."

"Now, hold on." Anakin exclaimed, "Who decided that? Walking into that factory could be suicide."

"Not if the four of us are successful at holding Poggle's attention at the bridge." Natasha corrected.

"Master, I can do this." Ahsoka stressed, "I've had riskier assignments."

"But unlike Barriss, you aren't prepared for this mission." He growled.

"Not to worry." Luminara reassured, "My Padawan is reliable. She can lead them both through the maze."

"We'll be in and out, Master." Barriss added.

"See?" Ahsoka asked hotly, "Dependable Barriss will get us through. Don't worry, Master. As you well know, I can follow orders."

"Then, we are finally in agreement?" Nairbix asked.

"I guess we are." Anakin admitted as Luminara handed Ahsoka a pack.

"We'll monitor your progress on these chronometers." Luminara further explained.

"Let's get going, Barriss." Ahsoka urged as they took off.

"You feel Ahsoka's not up to the task." Luminara stated.

"I never said that." Anakin retorted.

"What is it then?" Natasha asked.

"Nothing. Let's prepare the men." Anakin suggested as he walked over to R2 and the holomap.

"We'll have to make a bold move if we're to draw them out of the factory and keep their attention on us and not the Padawans." Luminara suggested.

"The best way to do that is to march our troops straight up the middle, parade style. They can't resist that." Nairbix provided.

"With no cover?" Luminara asked.

"Well, we have to make it tempting." Natasha reminded. Once they began their march, the factory's doors opened and unleashed a wave of battle droids.

"Here come the droids. Everybody steady." Nairbix ordered.

"I hope the Padawans have made it past the bridge by now." Luminara hoped. As they continued to march, they were able to see more droids emerge from the factory.

"That looks like a lot of droids." Natasha said bluntly.

"Well, it is a droid factory." Nairbix reminded playfully.

"As long as we can destroy them faster than they can make them, we'll come out on top." Anakin declared with confidence.

"Hmph, I love your simple logic, Skywalker." Luminara chuckled.

"Here we go." Nairbix grinned as they readied their weapons and charged the droids. As the battle continued, Geonosians came from the air in all directions to help wipe out the Republic forces.

"They should've entered the catacombs by now." Luminara informed to her comrades as they fought.

"I sure hope they're not lost down there." Anakin added as the factory let loose multiple super tanks.

"Oh, that's just not fair." Nairbix whined, "Looks like the Separatists have some new toys." He alerted the others. As the clones fired at them, they quickly realized their attacks could not harm them.

Just then, they each noticed their chronometers were flashing green. "Green light. The bombs are active." Anakin alerted.

"The Padawans did it."

"And just in time." Natasha added as the tanks began to fire mortars. "Get down!" She shouted as the blasts hit. As they fell back, Nairbix gave his orders to his clone.

"Spades, tell the men to fall back."

"But, sir, you can't be asking us to turn tail and run?!" Spades protested.

"I'm not asking you to run, Spades. I'm ordering you to get the men to a safe distance while I take out those tanks." Nairbix informed shocking everyone.

"Don't be ridiculous, VanSull, you'll be killed!" Luminara exclaimed.

"You can't be serious, Nairbix. You expect us to let you go back out there all alone?" Anakin asked.

"I do." Nairbix replied with a grin, "Just get the men across the bridge and I'll join you shortly." And with that, the True Master dashed off into battle.

As he came closer to the tanks, they began to fire their blasters at him. He then slid underneath their line of fire and slashed his Keyblade sending arches of destruction at the front line of the tanks. Once they were taken out, Nairbix halted his slid and took a low stance with his mighty weapon ready. He then jumped over to the nearest tank and sliced off its side guns before tearing open the hatch and blasting it from the inside out.

"What's going on?!" A droid cried from one of the tanks' cockpit.

"Hold on, I'll check the scanner." Another said just before Heartbreaker burst through the tank's interior and its head. From the outer side, Nairbix gripped his Keyblade and sent another blast through the inside before jumping over to the next tank to repeat the process.

When the last tank was left, Nairbix simply flicked his Keyblade as he walked ahead to meet his comrades and destroyed the Separatist weapon without so much as looking.

"He actually did it." Anakin said bluntly in shock, "He actually took out every one of those tanks single handedly like it was nothing."

"That's Nairbix for ya." Natasha said proudly as they joined him.

"Where are they?" Anakin asked as they awaited the Padawans, "Those bombs are about to go off any second now."

"They're still in there. I can smell them." Nairbix informed, "They need to hurry, the evacuation ships are on their way." As he said this, more droids emerged from the factory.

"Bozhe moi." Natasha muttered as they once again charged into battle. As they fought, Ahsoka managed to contact Anakin.

"I'm sorry, Master. We can't make it out." She informed.

"Can't make it out? Ahsoka, wait!" He shouted, not a moment later, the factory exploded.

After the dust and ash settled, Anakin immediately tried to contact his apprentice. "Ahsoka, can you hear me? Come in."

"Anakin, relax. I've got this." Nairbix eased as he waved his hand and created a corridor. As soon as it opened, Ahsoka and Barriss plopped out gasping for breath. "Am I good or am I good?" Nairbix asked smirking.

"Master VanSull, you never seem to disappoint." Luminara praised, "We best get these two to the rescue ships. The Padawans have earned some rest."

After the duo left, Obi-Wan and Mundi returned. "A hard won victory." Obi-Wan said as he joined Luminara and Natasha.

"Indeed, but a costly one as well." Luminara reminded, "We suffer a great many losses in these battles. Too many."

"The battles do appear to be coming with growing frequency." Obi-Wan agreed.

"No sign of Poggle, then?" Natasha asked.

"Nothing." Obi-Wan replied, "We have clone squadrons spread out all over the area but no hits yet."

"I'll go out and find some sort of clue as to where he went." Luminara informed.

"I'm sure the clones can handle-"

"Poggle has too much information about the Separatists to let him get away." Luminara interjected.

"Very well, Master Unduli." Obi-Wan relented.

"Just make sure to leave a bit of strategic planning for me when I come back, Master Kenobi. I'd hate to feel left out." And with that, the green skinned Jedi took off on her speeder.

"Have you ever noticed those markings on her chin makes it look like she has a goatee?" Natasha asked bluntly.

"That's all you got out of that?" Obi-Wan deadpanned.

"I'm just saying." She defended. Later on as they reached the docked cruiser, Natasha and Obi-Wan found Mundi looking over star charts.

"What's this?" Natasha asked her fellow master, "I don't think either of us were expecting to find you up and about."

"After enough time in a bacta tank, one longs for the mundane comfort of star charts." Mundi replied.

"It seems like it did you some good." Obi-Wan noticed, "Your wound looks almost healed."

"I wish I could say the same for most of my men." Mundi said solemnly as they all gazed out the window.

"Well, let's make sure we don't have to take Geonosis a third time and Natasha won't need to desolate nearly half of it a second time." Obi-Wan joked while she just glared at him.

"Don't make me flick you, Kenobi." Natasha warned, "Poggle's forces seem to have come from the Northern Hemesphere."

"And where was Master Unduli's last contact made from?" Mundi asked.

"This region farther to the west." Natasha replied, "But there's nothing out there according to our latest Intel." Just then, Luminara appeared via hologram to give her report.

"We have discovered something that seems to have belonged at some point to Poggle." She informed, "It appears to be a munitions container of some kind."

"It could just be debris." Mundi suggested.

"I don't think so." Luminara disagreed, "There was no battle in this area."

"From that area and from the direction that he was headed, it would seem that Poggle's destination is the Progate Temple." Natasha deduced.

"But that makes no sense." Mundi interjected, "Nothing in the temple could have survived the munitions we used in our first attack. Why would he risk exposure to go there?"

"I'm not yet sure. Perhaps he doesn't realize the extent to which we cleared that area." Luminara offered as Anakin and Nairbix entered the room.

"Master Luminara, I'm tracking a sandstorm that's heading your way." Anakin informed.

"No matter." She waved off, "Poggle is out in the open and I intend to grab him before he can get offworld."

"I advise against it." Mundi advised, "You might get lost in the storm."

"And then we'd have to find both you and Poggle." Nairbix reminded.

"I feel that it is a risk worth taking."

"As you wish." Mundi relented. As time passed and the sandstorm raged, the party began to worry for the wondering Jedi's safety.

"What could be taking her so long?" Anakin asked rhetorically, "Something must have happened to her." He deduced rushing to conclusion.

"Patience, Skywalker. It's a delicate operation." Mundi lectured, "I'm sure we'll have more information soon."

"I must admit, I'm worried too." Obi-Wan mentioned, "We haven't heard from her in a while."

"Let's not start worrying yet." Natasha eased, "Luminara's not one to take unnecessary risks." As she said this, Luminara contacted them once again.

"Everyone, we tracked Poggle to the Progate Temple, but now there's no sign of him."

"Go no further until we can send support." Obi-Wan advised, "The storm is making things difficult, we can barely read your transmission as it is."

"Are you sure he went into the temple?" Nairbix asked.

"Yes, we saw him enter." She replied, "But I think he's gone down into the catacombs below."

"Those catacombs go on for miles. I fear we may have lost him. You better get yourself out of there." Natasha suggested. After she said this, Luminara's hologram showed her preparing her lightsaber to attack.

"Master Unduli?" Obi-Wan asked as the transmission cut out, "Master Unduli!"

"We've lost the connection." Mundi stated as Anakin made his way to the door.

"Where are you going?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Take a guess." Anakin replied.

"We'll never get to her in this storm. The gunships can't handle it." Nairbix reasoned.

"We can't wait!" Anakin snapped.

"I'm sorry, Skywalker. We have no choice. We must be patient and trust in Master Unduli." Mundi said ending the debate.

"We'll leave as soon as the storm lifts. Try and bear with it for a little while longer." Natasha pleaded.

"We may not need to." Nairbix interjected earning everyone's attention. "I think I can put an end to this storm fairly quickly."

"How?" Mundi asked. In reply, Nairbix simply began to roll his hand which seemed to bend the storm to his whim. It then began to gather in front of the base and compress down into a swirling vortex of sand, Nairbix then clenched his fist and ended the storm in an instant as though it was never there at all.

"Like that." He replied nonchalantly while they all gaped at him. The party and troops quickly readied themselves to travel to Luminara's last known location and began their search. Once they arrived at the temple, they entered the odd place in hopes to find their comrade.

"Stay alert." Obi-Wan ordered.

"Spread out and look around, men." Natasha added.

"General." Cody called by a dead clone, "Buzz is dead."

"Any sign of Luminara?" Nairbix asked.

"No, sir." He replied. Obi-Wan then noticed the nearby floor entrance and began to form out what happened.

"There was a struggle." He informed before noticing and picking up the missing Jedi's lightsaber.

"This is not a good sign." Natasha added as she saw the weapon.

"Poggle didn't do this." Anakin stated as he examined the lightsaber.

"Maybe not. But that might have." Nairbix pointed at a hideous stone head of a Geonosian above them.

"That is one ugly bug." Spades said bluntly.

"I haven't seen one that looks like that before." Anakin said.

"I don't think anyone has. My guess is that that's the Geonosian queen." Nairbix assumed.

"The bugs have a queen?" Anakin asked in disgust.

"Rumored." Obi-Wan corrected, "But we haven't found any proof of her existence. Until now."

"Wouldn't strike me as strange if that were the case." Natasha added. As they traveled through the catacombs, Luminara managed to somehow contact Obi-Wan.

"Master Kenobi!" She shouted, "If you're following me, you must leave this place. Get out now!" She said as they lost her once again.

"She must be close, let's go!" He ordered.

"No one ever seems to head that sort of advice in a crisis, huh?" Natasha asked Nairbix as they were running.

"I know, right?" He replied as they ran into a group of black Geonosians. "Oh, bugger." He mumbled as they became surrounded. As they fought, the clones realized that none of their attacks were doing any good. Even the attacks from the Jedi and Nairbix didn't do anything aside from decapitating them.

"Back, everyone, back! Take out the tunnel supports, it's the only way." Obi-Wan ordered as they fled into another catacomb.

"What were those things?" Anakin asked, "We couldn't kill them."

"I've heard stories of a Geonosian hive mind so powerful, so strong, that it can maintain its connection with its warriors even after they have died."

"Spooky." Natasha deadpanned. As they continued their way, they ventured into a warm and foul smelling area.

"Agh, what is that smell?!" Nairbix exclaimed.

"Sorry, it was me." Natasha grinned before inhaling the actual smell, "Hold on, that was not me!"

"I think that what we're smelling is her." Anakin said bluntly as he pointed at the obvious queen. She had the same hideous face as the stone carving from before and by far the largest thorax ever; which is what propped her up. In front of her was Luminara imprisoned in a suspension field.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Anakin sated.

"Is that your catch phrase or something?" Natasha asked bluntly, "You say that on practically every mission. Come up with some new material, damn it."

"She gets cranky when she's in cramped spaces for too long." Nairbix explained as they approached the queen.

"I thought I told you not to follow me, Master Kenobi." Luminara reminded.

"Yes, well, I decided to take a lesson from Anakin and decided not to follow orders." He replied coolly.

"Funny how that worked out, huh?" Nairbix asked.

"You." The queen growled as she pointed at them, "You are the creatures who attacked Geonosia!" She screeched, "Why have you come before me?"

"Your majesty, it is a pleasure to finally meet you." Obi-Wan lied smoothly, "I am Obi-Wan Kenobi and this Anakin Skywalker, Natasha Romanoff and Nairbix VanSull. It is our sad duty to inform you that your rule is at an end."

"Yeah, 'sad.'" Nairbix mumbled sarcastically.

"You not dictate to me, Jedi. My empire is forever."

"I'm afraid it does not appear that way, your grace." Obi-Wan disagreed, "You shall release the Jedi Luminara and submit to Republic law."

"Now why do I get the feeling that's not going to happen?" Nairbix thought bluntly as the queen screeched in anger and protest.

"I no submit to you!" She shouted as Anakin drew his lightsaber.

"No, patience, Anakin, wait." Natasha advised as the bugs surrounded them.

"Majesty, destroying us shall only make the Republic's judgment of you harsher." Obi-Wan warned.

"No, Jedi. No! I no destroy you." She denied, "I devour you. I control you." She corrected. "I had but one Jedi before young Poggle bring me. But now I have five."

"Is this a bad time to mention that I'm not a Jedi?" Nairbix asked bluntly as the queen screeched at him. "Just asking."

"Now, watch as my child enters your Jedi friend." She said as a maggot came from one of the zombies' nose and passed over to Poggle. "And once inside, her mind becomes my mind. Her thoughts, my thoughts."

"It's a sort of mind control, a hive mind." Obi-Wan realized, "She thinks she can possess us."

"Great. Find out everything you wanted to know yet?" Anakin asked.

"No, wait. I want to see how it works." He replied.

"I don't think Luminara wants to see how it works." Natasha stressed.

"No, I don't."

"I'm curious. The more we know the better." Obi-Wan retorted as Poggle and the maggot grew closer.

"I disagree!" Luminara stressed nervously.

"So do we." The other two added.

"Come now. The nose or the ear, which do you think it will enter?" Obi-Wan asked.

"My money says it'll be the nose." Nairbix suggested.

"Nairbix!" Anakin and Natasha said in shock.

"What? I'm actually finding this whole thing to be pretty interesting." He replied.

"Glad to her it." Luminara deadpanned as the clones began to attack. In their state of confusion, the Geonosians were unable to defend themselves while Anakin and Luminara managed to grab and cuff Poggle.

"Obi-Wan, look out!" Anakin shouted as he crushed the previous maggot.

"Anakin, no! I was going to study that." He whined.

"Study the bottom of his boot. Come on!" Natasha shouted. As they ran out of the catacombs and escaped the collapsing temple, Anakin looked at their handiwork and grinned.

"All things considered, that went better than I expected." He said.

"That's for sure." Nairbix chuckled as they escorted Poggle to the gunships so he could be taken to Coruscant for trial.

 **Okay, that whole Guardian bit was one of those techniques that I mentioned before. I realize that I didn't do much with it this time around, but be sure that it will make a comeback. And yes, I added/paraphrased that count scene from The Two Towers with Gimli and Legolas. Hey, that trilogy was freaking badass and awesome! Only watch the extended version though, the other versions are crap in comparison.**


	23. The Mandalore Plot

**Hello, everyone. Here's yet another awesome chapter that I hope you'll enjoy. Now, remember when I said that I'm probably going to use over forty episodes from the clone wars? Well, I am thinking about shortening the list. Mostly because I want to get past this saga in Nairbix's life and get back to writing more of my original chapters. Not to mention seeing as I have things going on in the afternoons after school for a couple more months, my writing time is going to be limited especially on account of the ever wonderful thing known as homework. That and I have another story in progress that is doing a hell of a lot more better than this one feedback wise.**

 **And once fall starts up, college will wipe out my chances of writing to the point of my rare instances of free time and holiday breaks. So I'd like to get through this story before that happens and it should be that way once I get out of this series. Speaking of which, since Agent Carter season 2 started, an idea popped into my head. How would you guys think about me using season one and possibly this current one for later on in the story? I'm only thinking about that because it would be ironic that Nairbix would befriend love interest of the jerk who deemed his wife "his" a while after he gets frozen. Just a thought, but it sounds pretty good in my head right now.**

 **So any who, Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, anything owned by Disney, Marvel or Lucasfilms just Nairbix and the plot of this story (not including the plots used from the episodes and movies I've used). Oh, and there will be another A.N. at the end.**

Sometime after the invasion of Geonosis, word reached the Republic Senate's ear regarding news of The Council of Neutral systems which spoke on behalf of over 1,500 worlds who wished to stay out of the war. Rumors indicated that the council's new leader, Duchess Satine of Mandalore, is secretly building her own army to fight for the Separatist cause.

Now Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and True Keyblade Master Nairbix VanSull have been sent to Mandalore to discover to discover the truth behind these claims. As their ship landed on the docking bay, they were greeted by a royal guard to escort them to the Duchess.

"The Duchess awaits you, Generals."

"Far be it from us to keep the Duchess waiting." Obi-Wan replied as the boarded the transport into the inner city. Once they entered the palace, the duo was greeted by the Prime Minister of Mandalore.

"General Kenobi and General VanSull." he greeted.

"Thank you for meeting with us, Prime Minister Almec." Nairbix thanked.

"I welcome the two of you as a servant of the people, but I am troubled by the false rumors that brought you here. Mandalore would never turn against the Republic." Almec defended, "The Duchess Satine values peace more than her own life."

"Oh, I'm aware of the Duchess' views." Obi-Wan replied before being cut off.

"Master Kenobi, Mandalore's violent past is behind us. All of our warriors were exiled to our moon, Concordia. They died out years ago." Almec informed.

"Hmm, are you certain?" Nairbix asked, "Because we had a recent run in with someone who wore Mandalorian armor, Jango Fett."

"Jango Fett was a common bounty hunter." Almec snapped, "How he acquired that armor is beyond me." Just then, the beautiful Duchess Satine walked into the throne room to join them.

"Well, Master Kenobi, my shinning Jedi Knight to the rescue once again." she greeted as she took her seat.

"After all these years, you're even more beautiful than ever." Obi-Wan smoothly replied. Hearing this, Nairbix's eyes widened at the sight of his friends obvious flirting.

"Kind words from a man who accuses me of treachery." Satine retorted hotly.

"We would never accuse you of personal wrongdoing, Duchess." Nairbix reassured, "However, a Separatist saboteur attacked one of our Republic cruisers, a Mandalorian saboteur." he informed as Obi-Wan replayed the holo-footage.

"You must be mistaken." Almec argued, "No Mandalorian would engage in such violence. Not anymore. Where is this prisoner now?"

"He took his own life rather than submit to questioning." Obi-Wan replied, "I know these commandos fought in many wars, often against the Jedi."

"Every one of my people is as trustworthy as I am." Satine defended.

"The ideals of one person cannot vouch for the ideals of many, Duchess." Nairbix retorted, "Not everyone is capable of agreeing to what someone says, no matter how high their position is or how respected they are."

"And strong words of accusation are as potent as a common easily treated sickness." Satine snapped back, "I am not so unwise as to so quickly lose and argument to a Jedi."

"Pardon me, Duchess," Obi-Wan interjected, "But Nairbix is not a Jedi. And I agree on his point that you cannot simply vouch for your people by saying that they all share the same ideals as you do. We are simply here to investigate whether or not Mandalore has at the very least something to hide."

"Clearly your investigation was ordered because the Senate is eager to intervene in our affairs." Satine sneered.

"Our investigation was ordered by the Jedi Council." Obi-Wan replied gently.

"I stand corrected." She admitted more level headed, "General Kenobi, perhaps you and your friend would like to join me on a walk through the city?"

As the trio enjoyed their walk, Satine began to express her gladness at the sight of her old friend. "It's so good to see you again, Obi-Wan, despite the circumstances."

"Your peaceful ways have paid off." he complimented, "Mandalore has prospered since the last time I was here."

"Not everyone on Mandalore believes that our commitment to peace is a sign of progress." Satine admitted, "There is a group that calls itself Death Watch. I imagine these are the renegades you're looking for."

"Death Watch, how cleverly named. I take it they're a real friendly bunch." Nairbix said sarcastically.

"Far from it. They're a group of hooligans that idolize violence and the warrior ways of the past. As far as we know, they are normally on our moon, Concordia." Satine replied grimly.

"A true warrior seeks to end wars, not cause them." Nairbix replied wisely.

"That sounds an awful lot like a quote. Who said it?" Satine asked.

"My master told me that when I was a boy. I had asked him if we were considered warriors or peacekeepers. He said that to me and added, 'Nairbix, we are at often times seen as both. But our true duty is that of ensuring that one day there will come a time when we are no longer needed and the worlds shall be at peace.'"

"Your master sounds like a wise teacher, Nairbix." Obi-Wan complimented.

"He's the most respected and admired wielder of the Keyblade to have ever lived." Nairbix clarified, "One way or another, he's managed to help all the wielders he's met since he took the rank. Funny thing is, he keeps insisting that I see myself as his equal."

"Why couldn't Anakin have been more like you?" Obi-Wan mumbled just before an explosion occurred. With quick thinking and reflexes, Nairbix was able to create a barrier wall to protect most of the citizens.

"Hooligans couldn't have arranged an attack of this scale." Obi-Wan stated bitterly.

"Then this must be the work of on off-worlder." Satine denied.

"Are you sure of that?" Nairbix asked as he pointed at the floating hologram symbol.

"The sign of the Death Watch." Satine whispered in fear.

"This goes far beyond vandalism. This is a political statement against your government and against you." Obi-Wan warned.

"She isn't safe here, we need to get her back to the palace." Nairbix advised before speaking to the police, "I want to interview everyone here. Nobody leaves this scene." As he said this, a single Mandalorian sprinted away from the crowd in order to escape. Seeing this, Nairbix ran after him and cornered him to a balcony on the lower level.

"I only want to talk with you." Nairbix eased, but the Mandalorian pulled out his blaster and began to fire at Nairbix who easily deflected them with a barrier without as much as a twitch. He then caused the barrier to burst and knock the blaster away, seeing no other alternative, the Mandalorian attempted to tackle him but was easily tossed aside.

"I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you refuse to comply." he warned as Obi-Wan and Satine joined him. Stealing the chance, the Mandalorian darted to the ledge and stood on the railing. He then recited something in another language and made his peace before jumping off and committing suicide.

"Dammit." Nairbix cursed, "What was it that he said?" he asked Satine.

"He was speaking in the dialect they use on Concordia, our moon." she replied sadly over the loss of life.

"I think we ought to pay a visit to this moon of yours." Obi-Wan informed.

"The Concordian moon is a province with its own governor. You'll need me to escort the two of you."

"That won't be necessary." Obi-Wan denied.

"Actually, it will be. You won't make much progress there without me, especially since you've just been involved with the death of a Concordian." Satine argued.

"I didn't kill him." Nairbix defended.

"I know. That's why I'm still talking to you." she replied before walking off. Later on, the three of them accompanied the body back to Concordia and met with the moon's governor.

"Duchess Satine, you're most welcome."

"Thank you, Governor Vizsla." she greeted, "May I present Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and True Keyblade Master Nairbix VanSull, representing the Jedi Council. Governor Vizsla is one of the officials I spoke of. He has been working to find members of the Death Watch."

"I take it you heard the rumors about Satine, about how she's supposedly leading Mandalore into an alliance with the Separatists." Vizsla mused.

"Our only instructions are to seek the truth." Nairbix replied as the coffin was carried behind them.

"This was the man who bombed the memorial shrine?" Vizsla asked.

"Yes." replied Obi-Wan, "He was apparently part of Death Watch."

"A worrisome prospect." Vizsla nodded, "If you'll pardon me, Generals, we must attend to the body." He said as they walked away; as they did with Satine joining them, Obi-Wan pulled her aside.

"I need a favor from you." he informed, "Please keep Governor Vizsla occupied at dinner."

"Where are you going?" Satine asked.

"Just for a look around." Nairbix replied, "I think we'd both like to see one of these mining facilities for ourselves."

"You mean you want to determine if they're still operational."

"We hope to determine they're not." Obi-Wan corrected as he handed her an earpiece. "I want you to wear this so that we can stay in contact, in case you run into trouble while we're gone." he said as they jogged over to some nearby speeders.

"Remember that the two of you are here under my protection. Please try not to cause problems where none yet exist." Satine pleaded.

"Think of us as searching for solutions." Nairbix said playfully.

"I have to tell you that I'm opposed to all of this."

"I'd be disappointed if you weren't." Obi-Wan teased as they took off. Not much later, the two friends arrived at the nearest mining facility and went inside. "Doesn't look abandoned to me." Obi-Wan stated at the sight of working hardware.

"Or used for mining either." Nairbix added as he caught sight of helmets and weaponized jet packs similar to what Jango Fett used. Suddenly, a member of Death Watch charged at them guns-a-blazing; he quickly tackled them and returned to the shadows for his next attack.

With their weapons readied, the duo calmly explained why they were there. "We are on a diplomatic mission under the protection of Duchess Satine." Obi-Wan called out.

"We do not recognize her rule." the grunt snarled as he fired at them. He was able to quickly disarm Obi-Wan but struggled to take out Nairbix who dismissed his Keyblade and fought hand to hand. As another member of Death Watch appeared, he rushed over and knocked out Obi-Wan just before grabbing his lightsaber and holding it against his neck.

"Either you come quietly or your Jedi friend dies by his own weapon." the grunt warned. Seeing no other option, Nairbix raised his hands in surrender. Ironically, Obi-Wan regained consciousness after he and Nairbix were trapped upside-down in suspension fields by the grunts.

"Excellent timing, Obi-Wan." Nairbix deadpanned.

"Commander wants us to sweep the area and check for any other Jedi until he arrives." one of them informed.

"This one's harmless enough without his lightsaber." the other added while fiddling with it, "The boss will love this." he said as they walked off. Once they were gone, Obi-Wan activated his comlink and spoke to Satine.

"Duchess, do you read me?" he asked, "Nairbix and I are in a little bit of a tight spot. We're being held by the Death Watch."

"Sorry to hear that." Satine replied but from the tone of her voice, she was attempting to reply while speaking to someone else; most likely the governor.

"There's a tracking function on your comlink. Follow it due east to our location."

"I don't know if I can do that at the moment." she replied.

"It's extremely urgent. Take a speeder. It's rough terrain." Nairbix advised just before the two grunts came back to do them in. Their method was using the machine they were hooked up to to crush them.

"Oh, bugger." Nairbix cursed.

"This does not look good." Obi-Wan pointed out just before Satine contacted him.

"Where exactly are you?" she asked.

"Listen for the loud metallic clanging sound. That would be the machine about to smash us into bits." Obi-Wan replied bluntly as they started to move, as this happened an alarm went off and caused the grunts to inspect it.

"Nairbix, is there by any chance something in your seemingly endless bag of tricks that might get us out of this mess?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes, but I was hoping to avoid it on account of how disgusting it is." Nairbix responded nonchalantly.

"I think that now is not the time to be concerned with that." Obi-Wan exclaimed.

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you." After the warning, Nairbix began to gag and attempt to regurgitate as they grew closer to their deaths. With one loud gag, Nairbix widened his mouth and allowed a pair of hands to make the opening bigger. Once it was large enough, Nairbix let loose himself covered in saliva as he collapsed onto the floor.

"Now I'm really glad I skipped out on the dinner." Obi-Wan groaned in disgust as Nairbix turned the machine off and absorbed his previous body into darkness.

"Believe me, being covered from head to toe in my own saliva is no picnic for me either." Nairbix retorted as he shook off the bodily fluid while Satine and the two grunts joined them.

Before anyone could react, Nairbix and Obi-Wan quickly took care of their captors and made their way to the nearest elevator. "Took you long enough." Obi-Wan mocked.

"For a man sworn to peace, you take an unseemly pleasure in the injuries of others." Satine shot back.

"And for a woman sworn to nonviolence, you don't seem troubled that we could have been killed back there." Obi-Wan retorted.

"But you weren't." Satine fired as she got up in his face.

"Well, you certainly haven't changed much." Obi-Wan sighed. As the door slid open, they came to see another member of Death Watch who was quickly taken out by Nairbix.

"This isn't the way we came in." he pointed out as more members noticed and fired at them.

"We'll have to stand and fight." Obi-Wan declared before glancing at Satine, "Or in your case, just stand."

"Speak for yourself, old friend." Nairbix corrected once Obi-Wan realized he had no weapon. He then quickly took care of the incoming Death Watch grunts and left only one alive. Just then, the apparent leader of the Death Watch walked over to them with more of his goons.

At the sight of his single underling, he uttered one word before ending his life, "Failure."

At his waist, Obi-Wan's lightsaber was in clear view. He then took off his helmet and revealed his face, Governor Vizsla. "Saw that coming." Nairbix said bluntly as Obi-Wan joined him.

"For generations, my ancestors fought proudly as warriors against the Jedi. Now that woman tarnishes the very name Mandalorian." Vizsla snarled as he tossed Obi-Wan his lightsaber before pulling out one of his own.

Its blade resembled the starry black night sky and screeched as it passed through the air unlike the usual hum of modern lightsabers.

"Now that's my kind of lightsaber." Nairbix whistled with an impressed nod.

"This lightsaber was stolen from your Jedi temple by my ancestors during the fall of the Old Republic. Since then, many Jedi have died upon its blade. Prepare yourselves to join them." Vizsla declared.

"This guy has serious issues." Nairbix muttered bluntly as Vizsla charged at Obi-Wan. While his skills with a blade were pitiful, Vizsla's hand to hand combat skills were a bit impressive. But when push came to shove and Obi-Wan gained the upper hand, Vizsla acted like the coward he was.

"Warriors, finish them." he commanded his lackeys who fired their missiles at them. Apparently, they were tracking missiles given that when they missed they turned back around. With his ever quick reflexes and thinking, Nairbix opened up a corridor and transported the three of them safely back to Mandalore.

The next day, Obi-Wan and Nairbix escorted Satine and her advisors to her ship which would take them to Coruscant. "It's obvious the Separatists are supporting the Death Watch." Obi-Wan deduced.

"I disagree." Satine said sharply, "I told you I wanted to stay out of this conflict."

"Given the current situation, I'm afraid that may no longer be possible, Duchess." Nairbix warned.

"I will never be a part of this war." Satine growled in anger and frustration as she stormed off. Off to the side, Anakin, Artoo, Rex, Spades, Cody, and a group approached the duo.

"Reporting for escort duty, Generals." Anakin greeted promptly.

"Oh, Anakin. Are we glad to see you." Obi-Wan said honestly.

"You sound tired." he teased.

"The peaceful ways of the locals wore us out a bit." Nairbix joked as they all boarded the ship. Once the ship took off and entered space, the three generals called together the squad for a debriefing. "Alright, you all know your marching orders. The safety of The Duchess Satine is of the utmost importance. The Death Watch will stop at nothing to assassinate her before she pleads her case to the Senate." Nairbix informed.

"The Death Watch may be backed up by the Separatists, so stay sharp." Anakin added, "Artoo, use your scanners to probe for any suspicious droid activity." Artoo acknowledged with a series of his usual beeps.

"Anything else, sirs?" Rex asked.

"No, that will be all." Obi-Wan replied. As the clones dispersed, Obi-Wan's comlink began to beep. "Yes?"

"The duchess and her retinue requests your presence."

"Very well." With their orders given, the three generals and their clone commanders entered the elevator to meet with Satine.

"I sense some anxiety from you about the duchess. She couldn't be in safer hands." Anakin pointed out to his old mentor.

"Yes, I know."

"Then why…"

"Never mind. It's all in the past." Obi-Wan waved off.

"Oh, so you're close to her?" Anakin asked with intrigue.

"I knew her. A long time ago." Obi-Wan glared.

"Hmm, touchy." Nairbix mumbled as the door opened only to hear Satine rant her claims against the war.

"War is intolerable! We have been deceived into thinking that we must be a part of it. I say the moment we committed to fighting, we already lost." preached Satine before her guests.

"Oh, joy. We get to hear the pacifistic preaching of the duchess once more." Nairbix groaned sarcastically under his breath as they left their clones behind.

"Excuse me, Your Grace," Satine's fellow Mandalorian said, "Are you suggesting we oppose the war on humanitarian grounds?"

"I'm going to oppose it as an affront to life itself." she declared, "As the designated regent of 1,500 systems, I speak for thousands of worlds that have urged me to allow them to stay neutral in this war."

"And yet some might argue that the strongest defense is a swift and decisive offense." Obi-Wan argued as they entered the room with a respectful nod.

"You are quite the general now, aren't you, Master Kenobi?" Satine asked.

"Forgive me for interrupting, Your Highness. I meant no disrespect."

"Really? Senators, I presume you are acquainted with the collection of half-truths and hyperbole known as Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Satine asked teasing her old friend.

"Your Highness is too kind." Obi-Wan replied.

"That sounded more like an insult to me." Nairbix whispered to Anakin.

"You're right. I am." Satine retorted.

"Allow me to introduce my fellow Jedi, Anakin Skywalker." Obi-Wan introduced.

"Your servant, My Lady." Anakin bowed.

"And you're familiar with our friend here." Obi-Wan inclined to Nairbix.

"True Keyblade Master and the living manifestation and embodiment of Narnia's firstborn darkness, Nairbix VanSull at your service, Duchess." Nairbix properly introduced.

"Forgive me, Master VanSull, but I can't help but notice you did not bow to Her Grace." one of the Senators pointed out.

"With all due respect, Senator, and to you as well, Duchess, there are few people that I bow to; and she is not one of them." Nairbix replied curtly, "I'm more of a guard dog than a loyal mutt like the Jedi."

"Hey." Anakin warned while Obi-Wan glared at him.

"I remember a time when Jedi were not generals or mutts but peacekeepers."

"We are protectors, Highness." Anakin corrected, "Yours at the moment. We fight for peace."

"What an amusing contradiction." chuckled Satine.

"What Master Skywalker means is that we are acting at the behest of Your Highness to protect you from the Death Watch and the Separatists who don't share your neutral point of view." Obi-Wan quickly corrected.

"I asked for no such thing." snapped Satine.

"That may be so, but a majority of your court did." Nairbix reminded.

"I do not remember you as one to hide behind excuses." Satine said gritting her teeth and glaring at Obi-Wan.

"I do not remember you as one to shrink from responsibilities." he retorted matching her glare, "A Republic military presence is the only sure defense against the Separatists."

"Even extremists can be reasoned with." Satine shot back as she literally stood her ground.

"Perhaps, if one can be heard over the clanking of their battle droids." Obi-Wan snarled while raising his voice only to hear the Duchess scoff.

"The sarcasm of a soldier." she said.

"The delusion of a dreamer." Obi-Wan sneered.

"This is getting good." whispered an excited Nairbix.

"Duchess, Master Jedi, it's been a long trip." the Mandalorian eased, "Perhaps we should get some rest and refreshments."

"Hear, hear." said a fat alien Senator, "Let us settle this dispute over dinner."

"Fine!" they both said hotly. As the trio walked down the hallway, Anakin pressed for more juicy information about his mentor's past.

"You and Satine have a history." he started off.

"An extended mission when I was younger. Master Qui-Gon and I spent a year on Mandalore protecting the duchess from insurgents who had threatened her world." Obi-Wan explained as they entered an elevator. "They sent bounty hunters after us. We were always on the run, living hand-to-mouth, never sure what the next day would bring."

"Sounds romantic." Anakin teased as they got out.

"A civil war killed most of Satine's people, hence her aversion to violence. When she returned, she took on the difficult task of rebuilding her world alone." Obi-Wan said solemnly.

"You didn't stay to help her?" Nairbix asked.

"That would have been problematic. My duty as a Jedi demanded I be elsewhere." He said sadly as they returned to their room.

"Demanded?" Anakin asked, "But it's obvious you had feelings for her. Surely that would affect your decision."

"Oh, it did." Obi-Wan admitted, "I live by The Jedi Code."

"Of course. As Master Yoda says, 'a Jedi must not form attachments.'" Anakin quoted.

"Yes. But he usually leaves out the undercurrent of remorse."

"You know, that's what I don't get about you Jedi." Nairbix said somewhat harshly earning confused looks from his friends. "The whole lot of you, I don't get. 'A Jedi must not form attachments?' That is the biggest load of bull I have ever heard!" he shouted, "How could you possibly be protectors if you force yourselves not feel anything? The desire to protect someone or something comes from the emotions you have towards them no matter what kind."

Obi-Wan then spoke up, "We cast off our emotions to make sure-"

"What? To make sure you stay better than everyone else?" Nairbix asked hotly, "And another thing, there is not a single Jedi out there anywhere in this galaxy that abides by that, Obi-Wan. From the moment I met you and Qui-Gon and heard that cockamamie code of yours, I have seen nothing but hypocrisy!

"All of the Jedi are holding a grudge against Dooku for betraying your order, turning to the Dark Side, and starting this war. Also, you take pride in all of your victories against the Separatists and pretty much spit on their names every time you talk about them." Nairbix ranted.

"That's not true!" Anakin snarled.

"No? Think back to the history of your order. There has not been one single change to it since the fall of the Old Republic and Sith Empire. The lot of you think that diving deeper into the Force to advance yourselves is a step closer to turning to the Dark Side along with embracing emotions and doing anything that goes against the rules. The Jedi always have and always will hate the Sith, that's so obvious even an ignorant child could see it." Nairbix retorted causing the Jedi to grow silent.

"That code of yours is based off of nothing but paranoia and fear and self-deception. If anyone were to go against it, they would be spat on and frowned upon by those who blindly follow it. The ones who came up with that crap had no self-confidence and no self-control over themselves so they decided that to prevent anyone from becoming what they feared, no one in the order should feel anything because apparently every emotion leads to the Dark Side."

"The code protects those who are lost and are able to find their way in the Force." Anakin argued.

"What way?!" Nairbix shouted not believing his ears, "You guys use the Force for a handful of bloody reasons! You have not advanced in the slightest in over a thousand generations. And you deny yourselves all the positive emotions you would feel if you didn't pretend to abandon your emotions and simply bottle them up."

"We're not like your order, Nairbix. We have our own ways and cannot blindly let our emotions control us." Obi-Wan shot back.

"I'm not talking about my order! That being said, do you honestly think that just because we allow ourselves to embrace our emotions, we act blindly?! I embrace my emotions every day, have I ever acted blindly or put any of us in danger because of it?!"

"Well, no but-"

"No! And that's because I have self-control which was taught to me by my master who learned from his master and so forth. There is a difference between controlling emotions and bottling them up because a bottle can only contain so much before it bursts. My emotions are what give me strength and helps me protect the ones I care about."

"Well, let me ask you this, Nairbix." Anakin interjected, "If you were taught from the age of a young child to let go of your emotions and personal attachments by your master and order, would you?" After hearing this, Nairbix became deathly quiet.

"…If I were to have ever abided by that, then I would've forsaken the countless bonds I've made with all the friends I've made and abandoned the love I have for my home, my mother, my master, my teacher, my brothers, Natasha, my friends, and even the friendships I have forged with the two of you and the bonds I have made with Spades and the rest of my troopers.

"If I ever was taught that, I would have acted and thought on my own behalf and chose not to abandon my heart just so I could please my peers. I wouldn't be truly living if I acted like that because the whole point of living is to make bonds and cherish the ones you hold dear. Not sever them the moment you fear that you are going against the rules you blindly follow. And if you truly believe in the ones you love, they will always, no matter what, be there to bring you back."

"If we were to allow ourselves to act like the evil we fight against, then we are no better than our enemies, Nairbix. And we can't always rely on others."

"Oh, come off it, Obi-Wan!" Nairbix groaned, "You don't believe a single word of that. You're just defending the ones who drilled that into your skull because you don't want to admit that it makes no sense just yet. And another thing, there is absolutely no such thing as good or evil. Those are just labels plastered onto something based on the perspective of someone."

"If you knew what the Sith have done in the past-" Anakin started before Nairbix cut him off again.

"What like create an empire consisting of nothing but those who follow the ideals of its ruler? News flash, that's every fricking body of government and organization in existence, Anakin! Or that they discovered secrets of the Force that frightened the Jedi of old to the point where the mere thought of using any of them was automatically blasphemous? Or even narrowing their numbers down to just two in their order so when the time has come for the student to become the master they must kill them to further understand what it means to understand the ways of the Force? Anakin, neither I nor Natasha have seen the Sith as evil." Nairbix admitted.

"Shrewd, yes. Eccentric, yes. But evil, no. We have found the Jedi to be arrogant and narrow-minded, however."

"But Natasha's a Jedi too!" Anakin argued.

"True, but she was and still is a Princess of Heart above all else and their powers come from their positive emotions completely. Besides, she and I have been laughing at The Jedi Code for years. Even with the grief she's been getting because she hasn't been completely following it."

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked in concern.

"What? You haven't noticed all the dirty looks, side glances and glares we've been getting since we arrived? Nearly every Jedi has been alienating us because we don't follow the same guidelines and rules they do. The only ones in the entire order that haven't acted so cold to us are you two, Ahsoka and Master Yoda. Why else do you think the only times we go on missions with Jedi it's only when one of you or the both of you are there?"

Truth be told, they had never thought of that, but it did explain a lot. The two of them and Ahsoka really were the only friends that they had out of everyone in the order. "I never noticed." Obi-Wan admitted shamefully, "Nairbix, I'm sorry that's the case for the two of you."

"Ah, don't worry about it. We don't mind." Nairbix waved off before Obi-Wan's comlink beeped.

"Yes, Captain?" he asked.

"General, something's wrong with Skywalker's astromech." Rex informed, "Scared him real good, sir. I've also lost contact with two of my men."

"I'm on my way down to assist you." Obi-Wan replied only to be stopped by Anakin.

"I'll go, Master. If there's something dangerous down there, the clones and I can handle it." he reassured heading down below while the remaining duo headed to the senators' dinner.

"We beg your pardon, Senators." Obi-Wan politely interrupted, "Our men are investigating a situation below decks. We respectfully ask you to wait here until it is settled."

As he said this, Nairbix's comlink beeped an incoming message from Anakin, "Anakin, what have you found?"

"There's a large open container, and the contents are missing. And I still have two men that're missing."

"That's not good." Nairbix replied stating the obvious, "Keep things quiet. Obi-Wan and I will stay here with the senators."

"Got it." A few minutes later, Anakin contacted Nairbix again but with a more urgent message. "Nairbix, there are assassin probes down here. One of them went up the lift. I'll try to hold the others here."

"Quickly, secure the lifts!" Nairbix barked at the guards just as the killer droid barged its way in. As it crawled over the table to its targets, Obi-Wan leaped over and sliced its legs before puncturing its eye and terminating it.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it. From the multiple holes in its head, dozens of smaller assassin probes popped out and headed to the senators. As they took for cover, Satine pulled out a droid deactivator and fired it at the tiny killers.

"Do you always carry a deactivator?" Obi-Wan asked as he and Satine were back to back and fending off the droids.

"Just because I'm a pacifist doesn't mean I won't defend myself." Satine replied.

"Now you sound like a Jedi." joked Obi-Wan as Nairbix crushed the last one with his foot. "Just like that swarm of venom-mites on Draboon, remember?" he asked Satine.

"How could I forget? I still have the scar." she coolly teased/reminded.

"Begging your pardon, Duchess. I distinctly remember carrying you to safety." Obi-Wan gently argued.

"I mean the scar I got after you fell and dropped me."

"Oh. Yes." Obi-Wan recalled bashfully.

"They're just like me and Natasha." Nairbix chuckled in his mind while smirking at his friend. Sometime later, Anakin and Artoo arrived to explain what they discovered in the cargo hold.

"One of our four distinguished senators appears to be a traitor." Anakin informed.

"I sense it too." Obi-Wan agreed as Nairbix spotted a remaining assassin droid.

"It looks like one of our little visitors is still alive. I have an idea how to expose the turncoat." he informed, "Anakin, return to the hull of the ship. Destroy the last assassin droids. We'll find out which of the senators is the traitor."

Once the dinner table was properly reset and the senators were enjoying their meal, Nairbix and Obi-Wan arrived with the surviving assassin droid in a container. "Sorry to disappoint you with the lack of desert, Senators. But I believe that our little friend here will attack the duchess and anyone who defends her. Anyone, that is, except the traitor who programed the blasted thing in the first place."

"Ah! Take it away! Please!" the fat alien senator cried.

"Master VanSull, this line of questioning borders torture!" Satine exclaimed.

"Oh, I assure our ever pacifist duchess that everything is under control." Nairbix replied calmly as he walked around the senators to test his theory, "I'm trying to expose a bigger threat. Oh, that's interesting," Nairbix mussed, "The droid seems to show unusual hostility to the honorable Kin Robb. But it seems to like you, Senator Merrik." Nairbix pointed out to the Mandalorian.

"Really, General VanSull, you're quite clever." Merrik admitted as he smacked the droid away freeing it in the process. While the duo attempted to take care of it, Merrik managed to grab hold of Satine and take her away.

"You're coming with me." he said with a blaster at her throat as he escaped. As they ran through the halls, Obi-Wan spotted Anakin up ahead and explained the situation.

"Anakin, Tal Merrik is the traitor, and he's taken Satine hostage."

"Any idea where they are?" he asked, "I've stationed troopers at every escape pod."

"Merrik will try to contact his allies for help. We have to find him." Obi-Wan stressed as they ran to the nearest elevator.

"This may not be the best time to ask, but were you and Satine ever…" Anakin carried off.

"I don't see how that has any bearing on the situation at hand!" Obi-Wan shouted. As they exited the elevator, the entire ship shook as the sirens went off.

"Oh, joy, just what we need right now. Company." Nairbix said sarcastically.

"I'll handle this, Obi-Wan. You go find your girlfriend." Anakin suggested as he ran off with the clones.

"Right." Obi-Wan agreed just before he realized what was said, "Uh, no, Anakin, she's not my…" But he just cringed and went with Nairbix the other way in search of his obvious old flame.

As they ran into the control room, the duo found who they were looking for. "Ah, Kenobi and VanSull, come in. We've been expecting you." Merrik mocked.

"Tal Merrik, you are under arrest. Release the duchess." Obi-Wan demanded.

"I took the precaution of wiring the ship's engine to explode. I press this remote, and we all die."

"That's a precaution?" Nairbix asked bluntly, "Sounds more like a kamikaze tactic."

"Obi, if you have any respect for me, you will not take such risks with so many people's lives at stake." Satine pleaded as they all slowly walked through the halls to one of the ships literally pierced through the walls.

"Say farewell, Duchess." Merrik said menacingly.

"Obi-Wan, it looks like I may never see you again. I don't know quite how to say this, but I've loved you from the moment you came to my aid all those years ago." Satine confessed.

"I don't believe this." Merrik said in disgust.

"Okay, a bit farther ahead than me and Natasha after all." Nairbix thought bluntly in surprise.

"Satine, this is hardly the time or place for-" Obi-Wan began only to be stopped by the look in Satine's eyes and the quick and rather hard slap to the head from Nairbix. "Alright. Had you said the word, I would have left the Jedi order for you." he confessed with love and regret clear as day in his voice.

"That is touching." Merrik mocked, "Truly, it is. But its making me sick, and we really must be going."

"You have the romantic soul of a slug, Merrik." Satine growled as she crushed his foot and swiped his blaster. "And slugs are so often trod upon." she growled.

"Interesting turnabout." Merrik mused, "But even if I do not deliver the duchess alive to the Separatists, I still win. The second I'm away, I'll hit the remote and blow the ship to bits."

"I will not allow that." Satine refused.

"What will you do? If you shoot me, you'll prove yourself a hypocrite to every pacifist ideal you hold dear." Merrik snidely reminded, "And you, Kenobi. You are no stranger to violence. You'd be hailed as a hero by everyone on this ship…almost everyone." he said glancing at Satine.

"Come on then, who will strike first and brand themselves a cold-blooded killer?" Merrik asked only to have his throat suddenly spew blood and drop to the floor.

"Arrogant human scum." Nairbix growled as his eyes blazed in hatred and the end of his Keyblade was coated in blood. Thankfully, Anakin was right behind him and caught the remote as it fell to the floor.

"Nairbix." Obi-Wan said shaking his head.

"What? He was going to blow up the ship."

"Obi-Wan, I…" Satine said nervously as she approached the Jedi. Finally seeing the chance, Nairbix discreetly waved his hand and caused Satine to trip into Obi-Wan's embrace.

"Well, I was going for them to kiss, but a loving hug will have to do." Nairbix sighed in his mind. Once they reached Coruscant, the trio of friends met up with Palpatine at the docking platform.

"A job well done, Master Jedi. And to you as well, Master VanSull." Palpatine greeted.

"Nice save, you old coot." Nairbix mumbled as he and the other senators left leaving only Satine and the trio.

"How ironic to meet again, only to find we're on opposing sides." Satine said sadly to Obi-Wan.

"The needs of your people are all that matter. They couldn't be in better hands with you to guide their future." Obi-Wan replied.

"Kind words indeed from a mindful and committed Jedi." Satine nodded kindly, "And yet…"

"What?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I'm still not sure about the beard." she said stroking it with care.

"Why, what's wrong with it?"

"It hides too much of your handsome face." Satine said as she and her guards joined the others.

"What was all that about?" Anakin asked through his chuckles.

"A very remarkable woman." Nairbix stated patting his friend's shoulder.

"She is indeed." Obi-Wan agreed before turning to Nairbix with an accusing look. "Were you trying to get the two of us to kiss back on the ship?"

"…Obi-Wan, I cannot tell a lie…but I can withhold the truth by not saying anything at all." Nairbix replied as he speed walked away.

"You were, weren't you?!" Obi-Wan cried.

 **I was tempted to have them kiss, but then I changed my mind. And that whole lecture about the Sith and Jedi, well that's pretty much the way I see things in this franchise. And before anyone brings up the new movie, I'm just going to say that Kylo Ren was an emo who had daddy and mommy issues and was only capable of throwing tantrums with success.**


	24. A Savage Oppression

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, anything Disney or anything belonging to Lucasfilms or any thing other than Naibix. Enjoy.**

After several weeks of non-stop fighting, the Clone Wars continued to rage on. Casualties on both sides were countless and seemed to have no end in sight. It was at times like this that made both Natasha and Nairbix question what was the actual point in this war. But right now, we aren't looking at the two friends, we are going to a different duo that hold great power over this war.

In his lavish home on his home planet of Sereno, Count Dooku contacted his hooded master, Darth Sidious. "Lord Tyranus." Sidious addressed.

"My master." Dooku bowed.

"There is a disturbance in the Force." Sidious informed darkly, "Your assassin, she has become very powerful."

"Yes, my lord. She is quite important to me." Dooku replied.

"Too important." growled Sidious.

"Master-"

"Silence. I can sense her powers growing stronger. I would hate to think that you are training your own Sith apprentice to destroy me."

"Never." Dooku denied, "My allegiance is to you and you alone."

"Then you must prove it. Eliminate her." said Sidious with a sickening grin.

"She is my most trusted-"

"I said eliminate her!" Sidious shouted.

"…As you wish, my lord."

Elsewhere in the Sullest System, Ventress was tailing the three ships that held Anakin with Artoo, Obi-Wan, and Natasha with Wall-E. "Heads up, we've got Ventress on our tails." Natasha alerted.

"Split up." Obi-Wan ordered as she followed and shot at him, "Looks like I'm her favorite." he teased.

"I'm kinda disappointed." Anakin threw in, "Only the droids follow me."

"Cry me a river. I've got a bunch of red blaster bolts following me!" Natasha exclaimed in annoyance while she and Anakin took out more droids.

"Natasha, Anakin, I'm going to need some help." Obi-Wan informed.

"Where are you?" Anakin asked.

"I'm hit!" he shouted, "I'm heading towards the Separatist flag ship."

"I see you. I've got her." Natasha said calmly as she shot down Ventress's ship. After the two ships crashed into the flagship's hangar, Ventress contacted Dooku.

"Master, I need your help quickly." she groaned in pain.

"You've already lost the battle, child." Dooku replied with regret, "I've ordered your reinforcements to return."

"No. I will destroy the Jedi. I'll show you." Ventress declared with dark determination only to see her master's cold glare.

"You have failed me for the last time. You are no longer my apprentice. And now you shall die." Dooku informed as Natasha and Anakin's ships flew in. Using the Force, Natasha threw off the ship's hatch while both Artoo and Wall-E extinguished the flames; and sprayed Obi-Wan along with it.

"No, thank you-thank you, Artoo, Wall-E. That's quite enough." Obi-Wan groaned as he climbed out and readied his lightsaber with the others as Ventress emerged from her ship.

"Ventress, you're not looking well." Natasha pointed out.

"She never does." Anakin mumbled bluntly.

"You've failed, Ventress. Surrender." Obi-Wan demanded.

"Never!" she shouted, she then ignited her lightsabers and engaged the trio. Seeing as it was three against one, Ventress was holding her own surprisingly well. As they backed her against her ship, she used the Force to Force Choke the three of them in anger. But before she could finish them off, the ship began to take fire from another Separatist ship, in doing so broke Ventress' concentration and released her enemies thus resuming the lightsaber fighting.

After having both of her lightsabers knocked out of her hands and three more pointed at her neck, Ventress groaned in annoyance and defeat. "It's over." Anakin snarled as a burning ship hurtled towards them.

"Incoming!" Natasha shouted as they all dove for cover.

"We have to get out of here." said Obi-Wan as the ship crashed. Each of the four then made for their ships and quickly escaped just before the flag ship exploded.

After being informed of the event, Dooku once again contacted Sidious. "Master." he addressed with a bow.

"What is it, Lord Tyranus?" Sidious asked.

"I have done as you have asked. Assajj Ventress is dead." Dooku said earning a dark chuckle from the Sith lord.

"Once again, you have proven your loyalty to me."

Back on Coruscant, the three Jedi met up with both Nairbix and Ahsoka at one of the docking bays and noticed their changes. Nairbix had grown slightly taller in the past few months and even grew his hair out. It wasn't too long but long enough to where he kept the back of it tied in a short wild ponytail. Ahsoka, however had greatly changed since she first started as a Padawan.

Her horns had increased in both length, height and size and draped past her shoulders. Along with that, she changed her outfit to a sleeveless top, three wrist bands on both forearms, and even created another yet slightly smaller lightsaber showing that her skills had greatly improved.

That being said, the others had their own changes as well. Anakin no longer wore his blue robes and pads, instead, he wore dark purple robes and straightened out his hair from its previous curls to a messy parted style. Obi-Wan no longer wore armor pads over his white robes and let his hair grow a bit longer while keeping the same style. As for Natasha, well, aside from getting taller and her womanly assets having grown bigger (much to Nairbix's secret liking) she hadn't really changed her look from her red and black robes aside from adding a black removable battle dress around her waist and keeping her curly hair tied over her shoulder with a black ribbon instead of her usual green one.

"Welcome back." said Nairbix, "How'd things go on your lots' end?"

"Pretty good." Natasha shrugged, "I don't think we'll be needing to worry about Ventress anymore."

"Well, that's good to hear." Nairbix nodded while Natasha lightly chuckled, "What?"

"Sorry, I'm just not used to the ponytail yet." she admitted.

"Well honestly, neither am I. It's just that my hair grows incredibly slow for some reason. I just never thought that I'd ever see you wearing anything remotely close to a dress." stated Nairbix.

"Touché." Natasha admitted. Later on at the temple, as she walked through the halls with Wall-E at her side, Obi-Wan and Anakin met up with her for a little chat. "Hey fellas, what's up?"

"Well, there was something that we wanted to talk to you about, Natasha." Anakin admitted.

"O-okay, what do you want to talk about?" she asked noticing they were serious.

"It's about what happened a few weeks ago during the Mandalore incident." Obi-Wan replied.

"Oh," Natasha said thinking she knew where the conversation was headed, "Guys, that was just Nairbix being himself and I'm sure he didn't mean to offend you or the order." she reassured.

"Um, no, we're talking about something else he said on the ship." Anakin gently corrected.

"Something else?"

"It's about what he said when he killed Tal Merrick." Obi-Wan informed trying to choose his words carefully, "He…he said…he called Merrick an arrogant human scum. Eyes blazing."

At first, Natasha said nothing and took a deep breath before looking at her two friends sadly. "I was wondering how long it would take for the two of you to catch on."

"Wait-what?" Anakin asked bewildered, "Natasha, you sound like you were expecting this."

"I have been for a while. Quite frankly, I was hoping that you wouldn't find out." she admitted.

"Find out what? Natasha, what aren't you telling us?" Obi-Wan asked.

"…The truth about Nairbix." she replied solemnly, "You see, guys…Nairbix, well…he…he hates humans."

"What?" Anakin asked as though he got the wind knocked out of him. "H-he hates humans?"

"Big time." nodded Natasha, "Nairbix has been able to see a lot of good in humans like us, but he's been more exposed to the cruelty of humans over the years."

"I never would have thought that Nairbix of all people was capable of hating an entire species let alone humans." Obi-Wan confessed in shock as they kept walking.

"Like I said, he's seen plenty of evil in humans over the years. You know how he's always introducing himself as the living manifestation and embodiment of Narnia's firstborn darkness? Truth is, he hasn't set foot in Narnia since he was only (in biological terms) a few months old." Natasha explained.

"Seriously?" Anakin asked receiving a nod, "With as much pride he has for his home, I always figured that he still lived there or at the very least visited often."

"I agree. Every time he's mentioned Narnia he beams with pride and happiness." Obi-Wan added.

"More like longing nostalgia, I have no doubt that nothing would make him happier than to go back even for just one day. It's just that he can't."

"Why not?" Obi-Wan asked.

"When the Narnians were created, a human boy and his companions brought an evil witch to Narnia. She was fixated on taking the world for her own and enslaving every last Narnian. The humans left but the Witch stayed behind, after that happened Nairbix was born and not long after that…he met the Witch. Nairbix thinks that she tricked him into giving her a dangerous weapon by sending her followers to kill him only to have Nairbix kill them instead."

"What did this weapon do exactly?" Obi-Wan asked.

"It was a scepter made out of crystal that would instantly turn anything it pierced into stone. The first one she used it on was Nairbix's closest and probably first friend. He was a little bird named Jackdaw. To this day, Nairbix keeps the broken stone wing of his friend in his coat. When Nairbix found Jackdaw and all of the other petrified Narnians, the ones who didn't get turned to stone or witness what happened immediately blamed Nairbix." Natasha said causing the Jedi to gasp.

"Then they began to stone Nairbix and chase him away. Afterwards, the Narnians were becoming divided, those who sided with the Witch, and those who sided with Nairbix and their ruler Aslan. In order to protect Nairbix, Aslan suggested that he leave Narnia and go to another world. Nairbix accepted and traveled to the next world that would deepen his hatred for humans; and ultimately save it."

"He blamed the humans who brought the Witch to Narnia for what happened." Anakin concluded.

"To an extent. In the next world Nairbix was adopted by a fairy known as Maleficent and received the love and happiness Aslan promised him. But it didn't last."

"Let me guess, he suffered at the hands of humans, didn't he?" Anakin asked.

"Worse, his mother did." Natasha replied, "In her youth, Maleficent had a human friend named Stefan, he was a greedy pathetic person from what Nairbix told me and wanted nothing more than to be king of the world. The day that Nairbix forged his Keyblade, their home was under attack by the current king who was mortally wounded by Maleficent. So he decreed that anyone who could kill Maleficent and avenge him would be named the next king. Naturally, Stefan who worked in the king's castle overheard this and looked for his childhood friend."

"Did he kill her?" Anakin asked.

"No. He did the worst thing possible to a fairy instead."

"What did he do?" Obi-Wan asked. Suddenly, a loud smashing sound echoed through the hall startling the three Jedi and droid. They turned to the source and saw a seething with anger Nairbix stand next the crater he made in the wall next him with the side of his fist.

"He drugged her and severed her wings right off of her back and presented them as proof all so he could become king!" he spat in anger before glaring at his friends, "And to this day that bastard still sits on his throne keeping my mother's wings mounted like animal's carcass as a trophy."

Before anyone else could speak, Nairbix composed himself and relayed a message for them. "Natasha, you and Obi-Wan are wanted in the council room, Yoda and Windu have something to discuss with you two." And with that, the angry Narnian continued on his way.

In the council room, both Yoda and Windu gazed out at the city as the duo entered. "Master Yoda, you sent for us?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Master Kenobi, something to show you and Master Romanoff we must." said Yoda as he and Windu approached a hologram projector.

"We have recovered surveillance footage of the massacre of Deveron which killed two of our Jedi and all of their clones." Windu explained. As the footage played, both Obi-Wan and Natasha gawked at the killer. He was a hulking large creature wearing black armor wielding a deadly axe that easily took care of the clones; but the biggest thing that shocked them was his appearance. He was nearly identical to Darth Maul!

"Darth Maul alive?" Obi-Wan asked not believing the sight.

"It can't be," Natasha denied, "We cleaved him in two ourselves."

"Correct you are, Natasha." Yoda nodded, "A creature of the same species he is, from Dathomir."

"Dathomir? The planet of the Witches?" Obi-Wan asked, "I was under the impression that Darth Maul's home world was Iridonia."

"Dathomir is the planet where Maul was raised." Windu corrected, "Iridonia is where the rest of the males of the species dwell."

"Travel to Dathomir you must. Find the source of this threat you will." Yoda ordered. As the party of four (two in each ship) flew towards Dathomir, Natasha started up a conversation with Nairbix.

"Um, you're not still mad about me telling the guys about you hating humans, right?" she asked.

"I'm always mad when it comes to those stories." Nairbix replied as he stared at the planet, "I'm not mad that you told them, Natasha. They were bound to find out sooner or later."

"Okay…you know…if you ever want to talk about it again, you know I'm always ready to be there for you." she reminded offering a soft smile.

"Yeah, I know. You know that I never hated you when we met, right?" he asked nervously.

"Of course." Natasha said smiling warmly, "I mean, how could you? I've always been a wonderful, likeable person." she teased.

"Alright, now I know that you've been drinking that vodka of yours again." Nairbix joked causing them both to laugh. Once they all landed and made their way through the village, they noticed that the locals were making a point of staying out of sight.

"Be on guard." Obi-Wan advised, "These men are ferocious warriors and will show no mercy."

"Good thing we're looking for answers and not mercy then." Natasha said with a sadistic grin.

"And she is in the same group of six frilly, weak princesses. Talk about being the black sheep." thought Nairbix bluntly while the warriors began to come out, ready to attack.

"Just let me do the negotiations." said Obi-Wan as the warriors surrounded them.

"So much for not starting anything." Natasha joked bluntly.

"Hey, don't look at me." Anakin defended as they all held off the attacks. Spotting the leader staring down at them, Anakin leaped behind him and held his lightsaber near his throat. "Back off." he warned, "We are not here to fight you. We are here for information."

"A man from your village murdered two Jedi. We need to know where he is." Natasha explained to the leader.

"What makes you think he was one of ours?" he asked.

"The Jedi council knows he's from this village. We've seen him."

"Mother Talzin should know his whereabouts. One of her women took him as a mate."

"I apologize for the intrusion, then." Obi-Wan replied, "Anakin, kindly release him, please?" He did so and joined the others to the ships.

"Who is this Mother Talzin?" Anakin asked.

"She's the leader of an ancient order of witches, the Nightsisters." Obi-Wan answered.

"Great." Anakin deadpanned, "Warrior-like men, witches-oh, this place is all kinds of fun."

"Never a dull moment." threw in Nairbix, "Something tells me that we won't be receiving a warm welcome when we arrive, though."

"You never know, I tend to be quite popular with the ladies." teased Anakin.

"Too popular." muttered Obi-Wan. Once they reached the other side of the planet and the witch's temple, many of their warriors began to ready their attack. "We've got company." alerted Obi-Wan as the witches came out and apprehended them.

"Jedi, come with us." a witch ordered as their weapons were taken. Once inside, they were brought to Mother Talzin, a tall white-skinned witch wearing robes of red.

"Master Jedi." she greeted with a nod to Obi-Wan and Natasha.

"Mother Talzin, thank you for your hospitality." said Natasha.

"I believe you have a question for me." she stated.

"Yes, we do." Nairbix replied, "We've had reports of a Dathomiri male on the loose. He's already killed to Jedi. Perhaps you could tell us who he is?"

"Master VanSull, we have no control over the males." Mother Talzin replied, "Our clan has been in exile for years."

"Don't play innocent with me, Mother. You're not the first witch I've come across and certainly not the cleverest. Everyone in this galaxy knows females are dominant on this planet. Something tells me that nothing happens here without your clan knowing about it."

"To think that the Jedi put their faith in one so accusing as yourself claiming rumors as facts." Mother Talzin retorted with her silver tongue.

"Rumors?" Anakin asked hotly, "You call two dead Jedi rumors?"

Natasha placed her hand on his shoulder in order to calm him as Obi-Wan spoke. "This thing-this animal is extremely dangerous. If you have any information about its whereabouts, you must tell us." he demanded.

Seeing no point in arguing, Mother Talzin waved her hands over a crystal ball and revealed the image of the murderer. "Savage. Savage Opress."

"What a befitting name." Natasha remarked.

"He is on Toydaria." informed Mother Talzin. Once the party left, a hooded figure emerged from the shadows and stood by Mother Talzin's side. "The time has come, sister. You must put your plot against Dooku in effect now."

"He isn't ready, Mother." the masked woman said, "He needs more training."

"He has to be ready. Together, the two of you will be able to eliminate the Count. But you must act now. We cannot keep your new assassin a secret forever."

"I will have my revenge." she hissed as she removed her mask revealing the face of Ventress.

"You will sister. You will."

As his ship landed at the palace of the Toydarian king, Savage Opress make quick work of brutally killing the guards. He then charged in wielding a crimson lightstaff and killed all that came in his path before meeting the gaze of the king.

As this happened, the party's ships landed outside before they all dashed inside. In the throne room, the came face to face with Savage carrying the king over his shoulder.

"Boy, does this take me back." Natasha joked while cracking her knuckles and readying her weapon. As they fought, they quickly noticed that Savage greatly lacked the necessary skill to hold his own against him. Taking his chance, the Toydarian king escaped from his captors hold and flew away; but Savage wouldn't have it. He used the Force to strangle the king and snap his neck sending him to the ground below.

After breaking away from the others, Savage escaped the palace with the king's corpse in tow. Once outside, he used the Force to knock over Anakin and Obi-Wan's ship before leaving in his own. As the party arrived, they noticed the burning remains of the ship. "And I guess that's what's left of our ship."

"Told you you should have gotten the cloaking function installed." Natasha reminded bluntly while using a fob to uncloak her personal ship before they took off in pursuit.

Back in space, Savage flew to the Separatist ship that held Count Dooku and presented the corpse to his master. Upon seeing this, Dooku unleashed his rage. "You ignorant beast. I told you I wanted him alive." he snarled as he electrocuted Savage.

"Forgive me, my master." Savage pleaded through his pain.

"That is not the way of the dark side." Dooku replied before electrocuting him again. As this happened, the doors slid open to reveal Dooku's former student.

"That's no way to treat your apprentice." she teased, "I should know."

"Savage, you can make amends for your mistake by destroying this witch." Dooku informed as he ignited his lightsaber. Ventress merely laughed at this while igniting her own weapons before speaking.

"I don't think that will be happening, will it, Savage?" she asked before tapping his forehead, "Remember where your true loyalties lie."

"With you, Mistress." he obediently replied as he ignited his lightstaff as the fight began. Even though Dooku's skill and experience was superior, Savage's strength proved to be better as he gained the upper hand and knocked Dooku against the wall.

"Finish him now!" Ventress ordered. But Dooku was able to return the favor by sending Savage back with Force lightning. "Get up!" she barked, "We must defeat him. Get up! Kill him! Kill him, you fool!" But every time Ventress gave an order, Savage was electrocuted by Dooku who was easily holding them off.

"I can't. He's too powerful." Savage groaned in pain.

"Your weakness will not be my downfall." Ventress growled as she continued to fight.

"A failed apprentice makes for a foolish master." Dooku mocked. Not wanting to remain a part of this meaningless conflict, Savage used the Force to strangle the two before him and knocking them against the wall.

As they began to fight once more, Dooku escaped through the floor with Ventress behind him; but the hatch closed just as Savage was about to follow while the party entered the room behind him. But Savage simply charged past them and made his escape. But with no other place to go, Savage returned to Dathomir in hope of Mother Talzin's help.

As he limped through the monastery, Mother Talzin greeted him in her chambers. "You have come home to us."

"I was betrayed by Ventress. The Jedi are after me." he said through the pain, "I'm not nearly strong enough to defeat them all."

"Calm yourself," she soothed, "You will be."

"I…I don't understand. Who will teach me?" Savage asked as Mother Talzin brought out her crystal ball.

"You have a brother." she informed mystically.

"A brother?" Savage asked, "But all of my kin were killed."

"Not all of them. He lives in the Outer Rim in exile. You will find him. He will teach you everything you need to learn to become more powerful."

"My brother…how will I find him?"

"Trust in your feelings. Your burning desire to obtain more power to defeat those who have scorned you will lead you to your brother." Mother Talzin replied, "You have an important destiny to fulfill, Savage Opress-you and your brother. Go. You will know where to find him."

"I will return, Mother. But tell me, what is my brother's name?"

"The name given to him at birth has long been since abandoned. The name he is most known by is the former Sith Lord Darth Maul."


	25. Mortis

**Hey, everyone, I'm back! In my own opinion, the last chapter with Savage wasn't all that great. So to make up for that, I have written three of the more interesting episodes into this one chapter with my own personal tweaks for your entertainment. As always, I hope you enjoy and I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, anything Disney, Lucasfilms or Marvel. Oh, and there will be another A.N. at the end.**

Not long after the encounter with rampant Savage Opress, the Jedi Council receive a mysterious message. A message encrypted with a Jedi distress code that hadn't been used in over two-thousand years far beyond the Outer Rim deep in the Crelythiumn system. Why the call had been made and from where could not be established. Nairbix, Natasha, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka were sent to investigate upon meeting with a heavily armed Jedi Cruiser.

In said Cruiser, Rex and Spades answered the transmission sent by their Generals. "Rex, Spades, do you read us?" Anakin asked, "We're at the rendezvous point awaiting your arrival. Where are you?"

"Sir, we are at the rendezvous point, and there's no sign of you on our scanners." Spades replied.

"Oh, come on, Spades, that's impossible." Anakin denied, "Something's wrong, we're at the exact coordinates where the distress signal originated, but there's nothing here."

"And yet Spades and Rex are at the same coordinates and they aren't here either." Natasha added.

"This is getting interesting." Obi-Wan threw in as the transmission began to break up.

"Unable to find you. Where are you, sir?" Spades asked through the static.

"Something's wrong with the transmission." Ahsoka alerted as the power went out.

"Not good." Obi-Wan stated.

"Everything's dead, even the life support." informed Natasha.

"This is starting to get very strange." mused Nairbix as the power returned.

"There. See? Nothing to be concerned about after all." Obi-Wan said being optimistic.

"Then what's that?" Ahsoka asked in dread as they spotted an enormous black prism, uncertain whether it was a station or an oddly shaped world. Just then, it began to pull them closer towards it and open from the center revealing a bright white light.

"Everyone, strap yourselves in." Obi-Wan ordered, "Looks like we're going for a ride."

As the light consumed them, everyone fell unconscious. When Anakin woke up, he found the others beginning to wake up as well. "We must have blacked out."

"Then who landed the shuttle?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Not me." Ahsoka informed, "Nairbix did you or Master Romanoff do it?" she asked, though she couldn't see either one as they were both in the back of the ship.

"No, Mommy, I don't want to pet the bunny anymore." Natasha groaned in a daze.

"I'll pet the bunny. Where did the bunny go?" Nairbix asked in a similar daze.

"What's a bunny?" Anakin asked.

"Not now, Anakin." Obi-Wan waved off, "Where are we anyway?"

"Some kind of organic mass." Ahsoka said unsure of her answer, "All of our readings indicate that it's bigger than an asteroid. But at least the atmosphere is breathable."

"Well, this is getting more unusual by the minute." Obi-Wan said, "I can't even lock down where in the galaxy we are…or even if we are even in our own galaxy."

"It's not ours, we can tell you that much." Nairbix said in a raspy voice, "Let's just take a look outside to get our bearings for the moment."

"Good idea, Nairbix." Anakin praised. As they walked outside, the three Jedi came to see Natasha like never before. "Natasha, what happened to your hair?"

"Huh, I just woke up its called bed-hair." she retorted.

"No, it-it's snow white." Anakin explained.

"My hair is nothing like that little brat's!"

"No, Natasha, your hair is completely white!" Obi-Wan exclaimed. Natasha then grabbed her locks and pulled it to her face to see that it was indeed white; and even though she couldn't tell, her eyes were an even more vibrant shade of blue than before as well.

"It is white." she whispered, "This hasn't happened before."

"What hasn't?" Nairbix asked startling the others at his appearance.

"What happened to you?!" Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and Anakin shouted.

"What?"

"Nairbix, why are you in your demon form?" Natasha asked calmer than the others.

"My-" Nairbix then noticed that his nails were like claws and felt for his horns while flexing his dragon-like wings. "…I didn't do this on purpose. This happened for some other reason."

"You could take on another form, all along?" Anakin asked in shock.

"I never said I couldn't, you didn't really think that I had already shown you guys all of my tricks, did you?" grinned Nairbix, "Oh, and this form basically marks that even when doing nothing, I'm at 50% of my power."

"You can do anything, can't you, Nairbix?" Ahsoka asked in amazement as Nairbix took on the appearance of a proper elder man.

"Ah, almost. There some provisos, a few quid-pro-quos."

"Such as?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Uh, rule number one: I can't grant wishes." Nairbix said before taking on the appearance of a genie emerging from a lamp, "So don't ask. Rule number two: I can't force anyone to fall in love with anyone else." He added sweetly before laying on the ground and rising as a grotesque creature, "Rule number three: I can't bring people back from the dead. It's not a pretty picture-I DON'T LIKE DOING IT!" he shouted shaking Obi-Wan by the shoulders before going back to his demon form, "Other than that, I have no limits."

"Has he ever acted this weird before?" Anakin asked Natasha.

"I've only ever seen him take on this form once before and he never did anything like that." she said bluntly.

"Hey," Ahsoka alerted, "I saw something. A reflection over there by the hill."

"I don't see anything." Obi-Wan replied looking through a pair of binoculars as they all saw the beautiful landscape. It was like both a valley and a jungle where giant boulders floated in the air.

" _Are you the One?"_ a woman's voice said in Anakin's head.

"Wait-what?" he asked, "Did you guys hear that?"

"I didn't hear anything." Obi-Wan replied.

"Are you the One?" the voice asked from behind them. It belonged to a pale glowing woman with long flowing green hair dressed in gold and white.

"Hello." Obi-Wan greeted with intrigue.

"Who are you?" asked Anakin.

"I am Daughter." she replied, "Are you the One?" she asked Anakin again.

"The One what?" Nairbix asked earning a glare from Daughter.

"I will take you to him." she informed.

"Him who?" Ahsoka asked.

"Did you bring us here?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Only he can help you. There is little time, follow me. We must have shelter by nightfall." Daughter said in mystery as she walked away.

"Make sense, dammit!" Natasha exclaimed in annoyance as they followed.

"And we thought this world was strange. How about this one?" Anakin joked.

"We'll be fine as long as we stay together." Obi-Wan reassured. As they followed Daughter, the party marveled at the scenery of the world. "Have you noticed that the seasons seem to change with the time of day?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yeah." Anakin replied.

"And there aren't any animals around either." Nairbix pointed out.

"And have you guys sensed it, too?" Natasha asked.

"Mm-hmm, since we arrived. The Force is very strong here." Anakin sated.

"Not to mention that I seem to gain more power as the day comes to an end." Nairbix added.

"Yeah, I mean, I feel stronger than ever here, but I feel like the source is getting weaker as night comes closer." Natasha added.

"Excuse me. Who are you taking us to?" Anakin asked Daughter.

"The Father, of course." she replied like an up-start.

"Of course." Ahsoka mocked, "And what exactly are you?"

"We are the ones who guard the power. We are the beginning, the middle, and the end."

"Glad she cleared that up for us." Natasha said bluntly, "What about my friend and I? Why did we take on these forms when we arrived?"

"The Father will have the answers you seek." Daughter replied stiffly as a rockslide randomly occurred.

"Look out!" Anakin shouted as he and Natasha pushed away Daughter leaving the others on the opposite side of the rocks. As he tried to check on the Daughter for injuries, she snarled at his action.

"It is forbidden for you to touch me!"

"Sorry. We were just saving your life." Anakin replied dryly.

"That was my brother's work. You are in great danger." the Daughter warned, "Wait for me, do not leave this place." she ordered as she walked off.

"Anakin, Natasha, do you read me?" Obi-Wan asked over the com-link, "Are you two alright?"

"Yeah, but our friend here has run off!" he shouted at the Daughter.

"Go back to the ship and try sending another distress call. We'll follow her and try to find a way off of this rock." Natasha added.

"And if this is a trap?"

"Then we're not gonna wait around to find out." they replied in annoyance.

"Guys, stop." Nairbix demanded, "Wait for us to find another way around and meet you." But the transmission was cut off. "Oh, they're so stubborn!" he groaned.

"They'll find her." Ahsoka reassured.

"Yes, and what else?" Obi-Wan asked as the sound of thunder rang through the air.

"Storm's coming." Ahsoka stated before they headed back to the ship only to find it missing. "The ship's gone!"

"Yes, we can see that, Snips." Nairbix replied bluntly.

"It was here, no question. And look," she said pointing to the dying plants. "Everything's dying."

"Did you lose something?" a smooth male voice asked from behind. He was tall, bald, had red lights for eyes, wore black and had sickly pale white skin along with an echoing voice, "You didn't do as you were asked."

"And what was that?" Nairbix asked noticing a glint of excitement from the stranger as he looked at him.

"My sister said to wait."

"Did she, now?" Obi-Wan asked tauntingly, "Well, we were unfortunately separated. We would like our ship back, if you don't mind."

"Not yet." the Son refused hotly, "Is it true that he is the Chosen One?" he asked regarding Anakin only to have the other Jedi ready their weapons and Nairbix taking a fighting stance.

"What do you know of such things?" Obi-Wan asked in anger.

"What is about to happen shall occur whether you like it or not." he said using the Force to deactivate the lightsabers with a wave of his hand.

"You are Sith." Obi-Wan accused.

"Sith?" the Son asked before darkly chuckling as the rain fell, "Yes…and no. The storms here are quite lethal. If you want to live, I suggest you find shelter." he warned before transforming into a giant bat-like creature and flew away.

"What in the universe was that?" Ahsoka asked.

"I'm not quite sure." Obi-Wan answered as Nairbix stared at where the Son took off.

"…He's like me." he thought as lightning began to strike the ground causing them to dive into the nearest cave.

Back with Anakin and Natasha, they too were avoiding the lightning as they made their way to the only building in sight. "Whoever we're looking for is in that monastery." Anakin stated while Natasha nodded. As they ran inside, the saw a figure at the end of the massive hall meditating. He was an ancient being dressed in dark robes with a long gray beard and black eyes with light turquoise irises.

"Welcome, my friends." he greeted as they sat before him; this was obviously the Father.

"What is it that you want from us?" Anakin asked.

"To learn the truth about who you really are," he said to Anakin, "One that maybe you have known all along, one that you must believe in order to fulfill your destiny."

"Enough with the riddles, old man." Natasha warned, "Tell us what's going on here, now."

"As you can see, there is nowhere else to go. It is late. You will be my guests tonight."

In the cave with the others, Obi-Wan had a vision of his old master standing before him. "Obi-Wan, have you done as I asked? Have you trained the boy?" Qui-Gon asked as his corporal form stood in front of the fire.

"Master Qui-Gon, how are you here?" he asked igniting his weapon in defense.

"I am here because you are here."

"No, I don't understand. What is this place?"

"Unlike any other, a conduit through which the entire Force of the universe flows." Qui-Gon replied.

"Are we in danger?" asked Obi-Wan.

"This world is both an amplifier and a magnet. Three are here who seek Skywalker. They, like me, believe him to be the Chosen One."

"You were right." Obi-Wan agreed as he put away his weapon, "The Force within him is stronger than any known Jedi. His strength even rivals that of Natasha's. I trained him the best I could, but he's still willful and balance eludes him."

"If he is the Chosen One, he will discover it here."

"And if not?"

"Then you must realize that with his power, this is a very dangerous place for him to be." Qui-Gon warned as he vanished.

In the Father's monastery, Natasha was having a vision of her own. "Natasha…Natasha." a voice called to her in a sing-song voice before shouting, "Natasha!"

"Who's there?!" she cried, "Show yourself!"

"Come now, you can't have forgotten the sound of my voice already, could you?" the voice asked, floating before her, Natasha saw the smaller body of her greatest foe smirking at her evilly.

"Chernabog." Natasha hissed in hatred, "Whatever trick this is, it won't work. Chernabog is dead."

"Oh, you should know by now that nothing truly remains dead. Everything lives on one way or another. Like me. I'll always be in your head, Natasha." Chernabog mocked as they circled each other.

"Why are you here, then?"

"I wanted to see you." he said attempting to sound sincere, "I wanted to see how much you've grown since our battle all those years ago. Though, I must say, white hair doesn't really suit you. Tell me, do you remember what I showed you during our battle?"

"How could I forget? Those images have haunted me ever since I returned to this galaxy. What about them?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing really. I just wanted to know that when you actually see them, it won't seem all that new to you. And even then, that won't be the worst thing that you will experience in the future." Chernabog added before fading into the darkness, laughing as dark as the depths from whence he came.

In the caves, it was Ahsoka that had the next vison, though the face she saw didn't belong to someone from her past; it was her future self. "Are you happy, child? Your master, does he treat you well?"

"What concern of it is yours?" Ahsoka asked herself, upon further notice, she wore a long brown coat and carried no lightsaber(s) at her sides yet still radiated power.

"I am your future, your potential."

"This is a trick!" she accused as she ignited her weapons.

"There is a wildness to you, young one. Seeds of the dark side planted by your master, and of that from the one who will change your path. Do you feel it?" she asked gently.

"No, he is unlike any other Jedi-I trust him with my life. And who else are you talking about? Who wants to change my path?"

"You have already met. There are many contradictions in you…and in them. Be warned, you may never see your future if you remain his student and do not take the other's offer. Leave this place!" Ahsoka shouted before disappearing in the fire.

In Nairbix's vision, he was greeted with the face of someone he held very close to his heart, the great lion himself. "Nairbix." Aslan called gently bringing Nairbix out of his deep sleep.

"Aslan?" he asked as a tear formed in his eye, "Why are you here?"

"Nairbix, this world has dangers that even with all your strength cannot control. You must leave, least the source of yours and your friend's power is revealed."

"But we can't leave." Nairbix argued, "Our ship is gone and I am unable to open a corridor to take us away."

"If you do not leave soon, you will witness the first step in your friend's betrayal."

"Whose betrayal? Of whom do you speak of?" Nairbix asked rising to his feet.

"You cannot trust them. Have you forgotten what the humans did to Narnia? These people are no different." Aslan stressed.

"Yes, I remember…but I also remember that the real Aslan would never pass blame onto others, least of all an entire species!" Nairbix shouted as Aslan roared and he summoned his Keyblade. The fake Aslan then pounced at Nairbix only to have him slash at the imposter and ending the vison.

"Nairbix, are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked as his friend awoke.

"…I'm fine, Obi-Wan. And from the looks on your faces, the two of you had visions of your own."

"Yeah, and mine makes me think that Anakin is in trouble." Ahsoka informed.

At the monastery, both Anakin and Natasha approached the Father with their lightsabers pointed at his face. "Cannot sleep?" the Father asked, "To strike an unarmed man is hardly the Jedi way."

"You're a Sith Lord!" Anakin accused.

"You're wrong on that one, Anakin." Natasha corrected, "But he's certainly not to be trusted."

"The Princess of Heart is correct that I am not of the Sith, my young Jedi. You have a very simple view of the universe. I am neither Sith nor Jedi. I am much more…and so are the two of you."

"We see through your spells and visions, old man. Tell us what is going on here!" Anakin demanded as he kept his blade an inch away from the Father's neck. Before he gave his explanation, the Father grabbed hold of the blade without so much as wincing or any sign of injury.

"Some call us Force Wielders." he replied as he pushed the blade back to the grip deactivating it.

"The Jedi have never spoken of this." Anakin argued.

"Hmm, few still know of our existence."

"In that room, my mother came to me. But it was not her. It was something else."

"Ah. My son, I suspect. We can take many forms. The shapes we embody are merely reflections of the life force around us." explained the Father, "You carry a great sadness in your heart. My children and I can manipulate the Force like no other. Therefore, it was necessary to withdraw from the temporal world and live here as anchorites."

"As a sanctuary?" Natasha asked.

"And a prison. You cannot imagine what pain it is to have such love for your children and realize that they could tear the very fabric of our universe."

"I don't understand." Anakin stressed.

"It is only here that I can control them. A family in balance, the light and the dark, day with night, destruction replaced by creation."

"I get." Natasha spoke up, "You're like Nairbix. You're the living manifestations of the Force. You yourself stand for the balance and Force as a whole, while your daughter represents the light side of the Force and your son the dark. Each of you is the personification of how the Force is viewed and how those on either side are and use it."

"Very astute of you." praised the Father.

"But why reveal yourselves to us now?" Anakin asked.

"There are some who would like to exploit our power. The Sith are but one. Too much light or dark would be the undoing of life as you understand it. When news reached me that the Chosen One had been found, I needed to see for myself."

"So that's why you brought us here. This place isn't even an actual world, is it? You're simply making us see a reality we can understand because of what this place is. We're in the Force itself, aren't we?" Natasha asked hotly.

"Natasha, you don't really believe that, do you? Besides, the Chosen One is a myth." Anakin argued.

"Is it?" the Father asked, "I should very much like to know. Why don't we find out together? Pass one test, and I shall know the truth. Then you and your friends may leave." he offered before pressing his fingers against Natasha's forehead rendering her unconscious.

"Natasha!" Anakin exclaimed, "What did you do to her?!"

"She will have her own test to take after yours. I am merely preparing her for it."

As the sun rose and passed the land, everything that was once dead regained life in an instant. "The longer we stay here, the stranger this place gets." Ahsoka stated dryly.

"It appears the world is renewing herself." Obi-Wan suggested.

"What about Master Skywalker and Master Romanoff?" Ahsoka asked in concern.

"I wouldn't worry, Snips. Those two are too stubborn to be deceived so easily." Nairbix reassured. As he said this, two flying figures swooped down and snatched away the two Jedi. "Hey!" Nairbix shouted as he took off in pursuit.

As he caught up with them, the Son blindsided him while the Daughter flew and gently pressed her talon against his forehead, catching him before he began to plummet.

Back at the monastery, both the Father and Anakin stood at the center of an arena where they awaited the others. "It is time to face your guilt and know the truth." the Father said to him as his children swooped down.

In the Daughter's claws, Obi-Wan struggled to get free while Ahsoka did the same from the Son's grasp. Nairbix then swooped down to the platform above the Son staring down at them as Natasha appeared above the Daughter on another platform.

"Whatever they want, don't do it, Master!" Ahsoka pleaded.

"Let them go." demanded Anakin, "I will not play your games."

"Oh, but I think you will." disagreed the Father, "I have ordered my children to kill your friends…the question is…" he carried as he levitated to the center platform, "Which one will you choose to save-your master or your apprentice? You must now release the guilt and free yourself by choosing."

"No!" shouted Anakin in refusal.

"Their powers are too strong for us, Anakin. Save Ahsoka!" Obi-Wan cried as the Padawan cried in pain from the hold the Son had on her.

"Let them go." Anakin demanded in a low threatening tone.

"Only you can make my children release them." the Father repeated.

"Anakin, the world is the Force. Use it." Obi-Wan instructed.

Composing himself and finding his center, Anakin willed the Force like never before and took actions into his own hands. "You will let them go!" he cried releasing a blast of the Force as he raised the Son and Daughter from the ground.

As he did this, the sky grew dark revealing the night sky before he gently set his friends down. Anakin then slowly pulled in the siblings only to push them back against the arena's walls. In their anger, the Force Wielders attempted to strike at their former captives, but Anakin wouldn't allow it.

"Down!" he bellowed at the Son crushing him against the ground with his sister. "On your knees!" he commanded forcing the siblings to bow before him and return to their human-like forms in defeat.

"And now you see who you truly are." said the Father, "Only the Chosen One could tame both my children."

"I have taken your test. Now fulfill your promise and let us go." Anakin demanded.

"Ah, but not all tests have been completed."

"What is he talking about?" Obi-Wan asked hotly.

"He wants to test Natasha and Nairbix now." Anakin replied through his gritting teeth.

"No, not exactly. Your friends do indeed possess a power unlike anyone else in our galaxy and are unmatched in their own ways. But what I wish to test is not your friends, but the entity and dominion that is the source of their power." the Father informed glancing at the awaiting duo.

"The entity and dominion?" Obi-Wan asked, "But that means…you want to test Kingdom Hearts?!" he exclaimed.

"You're out of your mind if you think that you can comprehend something like Kingdom Hearts!" Ahsoka cried.

"And I suppose that you three know it better than I?" the Father asked smugly.

"We know that if the ones who use its power don't fully understand it and have enough sense to know not to abuse it, it's not something to test." Anakin retorted.

"Nevertheless, it will be tested." the Father replied as he carried them all to the platform as Nairbix and Natasha jumped down to face each other. "Show us the true extent of your Kingdom Hearts. Begin!"

Nairbix then summoned his Keyblade (now reaching 75% of his power) and unleashed a void of darkness from his body. Natasha replied by revealing a pair of white Angel wings from her back and summoning what appeared to be a heavenly sword from the light she was radiating to match Nairbix's darkness.

The sky was now a swirling vortex of clouds as a bright, pale blue light shinned through it. Right now, the three Jedi were struggling to catch their breath as the raw power filled the air. "What is this?" Ahsoka asked through her struggling.

"This…power…it's unlike anything I've felt before." Obi-Wan said as he clutched his chest, "What is it?"

"It's Kingdom Hearts." Anakin answered as he looked at the sky. The others looked up and saw the source of the intimidating power. It was the enormous blue shinning heart-shaped moon known as Kingdom Hearts!

As it appeared, Nairbix and Natasha charged at each other. Once their weapons clashed, a powerful burst of raw power erupted from them knocking back everyone around them; even the Father and his children were struggling to keep their composure at the power around them.

"That is enough." he commanded, but his orders were unheard. Behind Nairbix, darkness enveloped everything in its path as Natasha's light did the same. Like when Nairbix created Nueva Destra, all those who could sense Kingdom Hearts power and the two that were using it to reach God-like levels. Natasha then sent a tidal wave of light at her friend who easily deflected it with a wall of darkness.

In retaliation, he sent a swarm of dark magical needles at her which did nothing as they bounced off her barrier. Clearly, the two of them were evenly matched, so in order to end things quickly, the both of them gathered their element and focused it into a swirling sphere of destruction in the palms of their hands. After that, they each fired an indescribable blast of power at each other, blinding all who saw it.

When the dust settled, Nairbix and Natasha collapsed on their backs and watched as Kingdom Hearts left in its ever brilliant light. Anakin, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan then jumped down to help their friends and make sure that they were alright.

"Ugh, my head," Natasha groaned, "I got to learn to say no to that stuff."

"Are you guys okay?" Ahsoka asked.

"I feel like my head was used as a speed bag for Rocky Balboa montage." replied Nairbix.

"They're fine." replied Anakin as the Father approached them.

"It would seem that your Kingdom Hearts has a tremendous source of power." he stated before speaking directly to Anakin, "And now see, only the Chosen One could tame both my children."

"I have done as you asked," Anakin spat, "Now fulfill your promise and let us leave."

"Ah, but first you must now the truth. Leave us." he ordered.

"Do not trust him." Ahsoka whispered.

"You think?" sarcastically asked Anakin.

"I said leave us." the Father repeated.

After he had his conversation with the Father, Anakin returned to the ship where the party was ready to depart from this world, or so they thought. As the ship soared through the air, Nairbix was taking a little nap; as he dreamed, he found himself in the planes of Mortis listening to a dark voice.

"Nairbix…Nairbix…join me, Nairbix." the voice said, Nairbix looked around and found the source of the voice, the Son. "Together we will change the balance of the universe, my friend."

"I think I'll pass on that, thank you." he replied.

"Why?" the Son asked, "Because of the ones whom you call your friends? What makes you think that they will remain as such? None of them understand you, what you are, what it means to be you."

"And you do?" calmly retorted Nairbix, "You think that just because you've taken a dip into the dark side you understand darkness like mine? Don't make laugh. Your silver tongue seems a bit more like lead if you ask me."

"If you continue to side with these Jedi, you will only find pain at the end of this saga in your life." the Son warned as Nairbix walked away, "And before that, they will attempt to consume you in their arrogant light. Join me, and we will restore balance wherever we go."

"…I think you ought to get out of my head now before I make you regret it, you bloody bastard." threatened Nairbix before continuing to walk away.

"Don't you dare turn your back on me!" the Son snarled as he transformed and attacked Nairbix; after he did, Nairbix awoke with a start gasping for air.

"Are you okay?" Ahsoka asked in concern.

"…Yeah, Snips, I'm fine. Thanks."

"If you're done napping, we could use a little help here, Nairbix." said Obi-Wan from the cockpit.

"Alright, alright." waved off Nairbix. Just then, he heard Ahsoka grunt and gasp as the Son held her. Seeing this, Anakin stood by Nairbix's side as the cockpit doors were forced tightly shut.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked smoothly, "Not without this, you won't." As the floor beneath them opened, the Son with Ahsoka jumped down and took off. But as soon as he did, Nairbix took off after them.

"What's going on back there?" Natasha asked.

"The Son took Ahsoka and Nairbix went after them." replied Anakin.

"What?!"

"Move. Let me do the flying." Anakin snapped. As they followed the Son into a canyon filled with mist and darkness, they eventually lost both him and Ahsoka. Once they were no longer in sight, Anakin crash landed the ship into the ground after he dodged a large structure.

"I didn't think you saw it." groaned Natasha.

"It was a giant tower-of course I saw it!" Anakin retorted as they left the ship, "Any sign of him?"

"No," Obi-Wan replied, "But I think it's obvious where he's taken her, and I'm fairly sure that Nairbix is there looking for them." he deduced staring at the dark tower before them miles ahead.

"We must hurry." Anakin stressed.

"Anakin, this wasn't a mistake." Natasha interjected, "He brought us here for a reason. We shouldn't get involved just yet."

"I don't care, he's too powerful for Ahsoka-and what if Nairbix doesn't get to her in time? I won't leave either of them alone."

"We are in the middle of something that we don't understand!" Obi-Wan stressed, "We'd be wise to confer with the Father first."

"There's no time." Anakin growled.

"This is what he wants, to divide us." Natasha reasoned.

"It's my fault he took her!" he shouted."

"You must sense how strong this part of the world is with the dark side. Not only will we be at a disadvantage, but Nairbix will gain more strength from it giving him the upper hand against the Son." Natasha further explained.

"The Father will know what to do." said Obi-Wan.

"…He can't help us." Anakin replied as he made his way to the tower.

Inside said tower, Nairbix was searching through it in hopes of finding his young Jedi friend. "Ahsoka," he whispered, "Ahsoka where are you?"

"Looking for someone?" a little gray alien asked.

"What's it to you?" Nairbix asked hotly.

"I've been here for years…there is no way to escape his fortress."

"You refer to the Son? Where is he? He brought my friend here, I need to get her out of here."

"Hmm, out of here…how many before you have thought of that, I wonder? Pray tell, child, what will you do if you encounter him?"

"That all depends on the state of my friend, and just how angry I am when I see him. If she's harmed…he just might not survive the night."

"We'll just see about that." the alien replied as he bit Nairbix's ankle.

"Ow!" he cried as he kicked away the alien, "What did you…what did you…do to me?" Nairbix slurred as he swayed and collapsed to the ground.

"I've made you mine." alien said as he transformed into the Son. As Nairbix lied on the floor, his body color became more sullen as dark veins covered it while eyes shot open and went from their natural shade of emerald green to sulfuric yellow.

Back at the ship, Obi-Wan was pacing anxiously as Natasha simply sat in patience. "Anakin…always on the move." he complained, "How do we even find the Father?" he asked as the Father's tower suddenly appeared behind them.

"…What an unbelievable coincidence." Natasha stated in surprise. As they made their way to the entrance of the tower, they found the Father being thrown out of its halls by red Force lighting sent from his deranged son.

"I hate you!" he shouted before transforming and flying away.

"Father!" the Daughter cried at the sight of her parent. After they brought him inside, the Daughter began to speak to the duo.

"We will leave him to rest."

"We need to speak with him." Natasha stressed.

"Not until he's stronger." the Daughter spat.

"No duh, princess!" Natasha retorted, "But that emo brother of yours with the daddy issues is losing himself to the dark side more and more by the minute. He's taken one of our friends."

"Then he must have his reasons."

"The same reasons he had for trying to murder your father?!" Natasha exclaimed in bewilderment.

"He would never do such a thing." the Daughter denied shaking her head earning what Natasha calls a WTF look from said Jedi.

"…He just did! Right in front of you!" she shouted, "What'd you do, take blind and stupid pills this morning?!"

"It is not his fault." the Daughter defended with her nose held high, "My nature is to do what is selfless, but my brother's will always be to do what is selfish."

"…And?!" Natasha shouted, "That's your reason for not helping us?! All because you think your nature requires you to do nothing?!"

"I cannot interfere in the ways of the Force. My father forbids it." she said rising from the ground while Natasha just stared at the spot with her eye twitching.

"I'm really starting to get annoyed with this bitch." she said flatly.

"Your brother will flee this place and wreak havoc on the universe." Obi-Wan warned, "You, Anakin and Natasha and even Nairbix have the power to stop him."

"I would never side with that creature." the Daughter hissed at the notion.

"What did you say?" Natasha asked softly in anger.

"Your 'friend' as you call it, is nothing more than a putrid form of darkness that ought to be destroyed." she replied snootily, "I'm sure by now that it has sided with my brother in hopes to further spread its evil upon the-"

Before the Daughter could finish, Natasha sucker punched her right on the jaw knocking her back several feet. "Ho-how dare you strike me-"

"SHUT UP!" Natasha screeched as she grabbed the Force Wielder by her dress, "Call my friend an evil it one more time, I f****** dare you!" she shouted surprising Obi-Wan with the foul language. "You know, people like you make me sick. 'My father forbids it-I can't interfere with the ways of the Force-I'm too much of a brat to think for myself and actually doing something useful for once in my life because I don't want to disobey my daddy'!" she mocked.

"You've got two options in front of you here, toots: A) you get the universe long stick out of your ass and off your ego equivalent in height high horse and help us; or B) you leave the universe to deal with your brother all because you didn't do a damn thing when you had the chance. What's it gonna be?"

After getting over the outburst and actually using her head, the Daughter got to her feet and gave her answer. "Follow me." she said.

"Good answer." Natasha spat.

As the Daughter led them through the forest, Obi-Wan and Natasha were having a conversation of their own. "Not that I'm complaining, but was there any particular reason why you erupted at her back at the monastery?" he asked.

"Sigh, this Daughter, whatever she is, reminds me of the other Princesses of Heart." Natasha huffed.

"Others? There are more than just one?"

"That's right, Nairbix and I never told you guys. Well, you see, Obi-Wan, I'm actually one of seven princesses that have hearts of pure light back in our universe."

"I take it that the other six are your sisters then?" he asked.

"No, we aren't related to each other let alone sisters. It's a long story for another time. Anyway, the ones that I've met over the years just…really piss me off." Natasha said in exasperation.

"What for?"

"Sigh, well for one thing, they're the exact opposite of how I act. These girls have been spoiled rotten and have no sense of what goes on around them. All they do when things get tough is just put on a smile and put their faith in the light or somebody else to make everything all better for them. They don't take any action and expect everyone to love them."

"You said the ones you've met; have you not met all of them?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Kinda, its custom for us to interact with each other from time to time as children and often be there after they're presented to the inhabitants of their worlds. I'm currently the oldest while three of them are old enough to really get on my nerves. The other three are like two years old and a baby so they haven't really done anything to piss me off yet and one of them is in hiding for a while."

"Why would she be in hiding?"

"Uh…you remember me saying that the first thing Nairbix did with his Keyblade was curse a baby with his mother?" Natasha asked twiddling her fingers.

"Yeah…?"

"Well, that baby was actually the daughter of the guy who took his mother's wings and the new Princess of Heart for that world."

"Oh." Obi-Wan replied wide-eyed.

"Yeah…bit of a shock for me and my family when we found that out to say the least. Anyway, the other three, oh boy, they're the snottiest spoiled brats I've ever met. Especially Snow White."

"Why's that?"

"Because the first day I met her it was at her birthday party and she told me when we met that, 'it certainly is wonderful that you are here on the day everyone comes and adores the day that I was born into this life. They are such wonderful people to love me this much and know what it means to be in the presence of princesses like us'."

"Yes, I can see that she would a bit self-absorbed and annoying."

"Yeah, and according to my mother, her mother was even worse." Natasha added.

"Really?"

"Yep. She was so arrogant and cynical that she would make it a point to publically humiliate servants and the poor in front of other royals on a daily basis for her amusement." she explained, "Not only that, but she once tripped a miller's daughter and made her get down on her knees and apologize for her shoe getting scuffed when she tripped her. That same woman eventually became her soon-to-be husband's fiancé and Eva, oh Eva struck again. You know what she did?"

"No."

"She found out (through eavesdropping) that the other woman was pregnant with the king's gardener who pretended to not only love her but pretended to be the king himself and threatened to tell everyone their secret unless she steal gold and jewels for him. She did, but only because she thought that her fiancé would have no choice but to call off the engagement if he knew the truth. But Eva got to him first and lied to him.

"She said that it was all a trick just to steal from him because she was a greedy little peasant. Needless to say, that engagement was called off and the one between the king and Eva was formed; and to this day, she pretends to be this loving, caring monarch when she's actually this holier than thou bitch who spends her days wrapped up in her own little world thinking she's perfect than everyone else."

"Sounds to me like she has her whole kingdom wrapped around her thumb." Obi-Wan mussed, "If you get your traits from your mother, something tells me that she's confronted this Queen Eva at least once before, yes?"

"Oh, believe me, when somebody pisses off a Romanoff, they do not live on without knowing it and becoming scared of us." Natasha reassured.

"Has anyone of your predecessors done anything like that?" he asked.

"Not as far as I know," Natasha shrugged, "I'd be surprised if that were the case, though. My family has this tradition that we go through when we turn fourteen. About a week after we turn fourteen, we are literally thrown out of the castle and into the slums of another world. There you live for a year to understand what the poor and unfortunate go through in their lives and you try to help them the best you can. After that, we come back to Radiant Garden and live on the streets for two more years in order to understand the deeper facts of what goes on in our home so that when we return to the castle, we're better experienced and know what it is that we need to fix."

"Wow. I take it you've already gone through this then?"

"Yeah, I nearly died of starvation during the first year because the only food that was there was either rotten, expired, moldy, or just plain garbage. The next two years I got caught up in a series of gang wars from a bunch of punks from other worlds and nearly had all four of my limps torn off after getting captured a few times." Natasha replied, "It was the cold truth of reality, but I came out stronger than I ever would by just training inside the walls of my castle."

"We're here." the Daughter informed as they reached a cave. Inside they saw a pale green lit alter at the bottom of a ledge. As they were about to get closer to the alter, the Daughter once again spoke. "I can go no further. When you reach the alter, it will give you what you need."

"I-I don't understand." Obi-Wan replied.

"He who wields the blade will be able to control my brother." she clarified. Once they jumped down to the alter, Obi-Wan reached in and grabbed the hilt; as he did, the blade sprang to life in a column of pale turquoise fire. It was long, black, wide at the base before ending in a thin end that was so sharp, it seemed as though the air was being cut as it moved.

As this was happening, Anakin raced into the tower's outer garden. As he reached his destination, he saw that both his friend and apprentice were sitting before a dark tree in silence. "Ahsoka, Nairbix. Guys, it's me. You're safe now, let's go."

"Are you proud of me, Master?" Ahsoka asked.

"What?" Anakin asked in bewilderment, "Uh, of course, Snips. Of course I'm proud of you. Now, let's get out of here."

"He lies." Nairbix whispered raspily.

"He's right," Ahsoka said as they opened their sulfuric eyes, "Right about everything. You must join him."

"He only wants what's best for the universe." Nairbix added madly as they turned to him.

"Hey, what's wrong with you two?" Anakin asked in concern.

"Always with the criticism, Master." Ahsoka sneered as she rolled her head, "Never really believing in me, trusting me. Well, I don't need you anymore."

"He can't help it." Nairbix threw in, "Always striving for glory so that everyone around him will see him as a hero. Not the fraud that he truly is and pretends to deny." he growled.

"Ahsoka, Nairbix, you have to listen to me. The Son has done something to you. Snap out of it, this isn't either of you."

"Isn't it?" Ahsoka snapped before returning to her madness, "We've never felt more like ourselves than ever. He asked us to give you a message."

"He said if you don't join him, then he will kill us." Nairbix said softly before laughing gently.

"I won't let him." Anakin refused, "I'll save both of you and get us out of this Hell."

"Then you will be forced to kill us." Ahsoka retorted as she ignited her lightsaber.

"'Save us from this Hell' he says," Nairbix mocks, "Do you want to know where the real Hell is, Anakin?" he asked, he then brought his right pinky finger to his head and softly said, "It's in your head."

Both she and Nairbix then jumped at Anakin and began to attack him. Thankfully, their techniques were incredibly sloppy most likely due to their madness; but fending himself against his student and one of his closest friends was still difficult for the young Jedi.

As the Son watched the fight from his throne room, Natasha, the Daughter and Obi-Wan approached him.

"Sister…what a pleasant surprise." he said almost sincerely, "And you brought friends."

"What have you done, brother?" she asked.

"Done?" he asked, "I have done what is right…or what is wrong depending on your point of view."

"Our father is dying. Did you do it?"

"He is just so selfish and was taking too long to die, so I decided to speed things along." he replied, "Now, why are you here?"

"I won't let you leave this world."

"You are not strong enough to keep me here."

"Not alone she isn't." stepped in Obi-Wan.

"Are you referring to your friend, the Chosen One?" the Son asked, "You might want to check up on him and your other friends. They're a little preoccupied right now." he said causing Obi-Wan and Natasha to run outside.

"I don't want to fight you two." Anakin said as he deflected their sloppy attacks, Ahsoka then smoothly back flipped him with a kick knocking his lightsaber out of his hands and him back several feet.

"And now the student will kill the master." Ahsoka sneered. Anakin then used the Force to take back his weapon and ignite it just as his possessed student was about to take his head.

"Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you, Snips." he teased.

"Don't call me that!" she snapped, "I hate it when you call me that!"

"Kill him and you'll never have to hear it again." Nairbix urged as he resumed to fight Anakin with his claws while she activated her second lightsaber. As she did this, Obi-Wan and Natasha joined in with their weapons ready.

"Three Jedi, finally a challenge." Ahsoka darkly cheered.

"Speak for yourself, I only see three lambs ready to be slaughtered." Nairbix spat glaring at Natasha as his summoned Heartbreaker.

As they struggled against their friends in the fight, Anakin called out, "Any suggestions?"

"Yeah, we cut them free." Natasha replied as Obi-Wan pulled out the alter blade.

"What is that?" Anakin asked."

"It can kill the Son." Obi-Wan replied.

"Where did you get that?!" Ahsoka and Nairbix asked as the Son's voice overlapped their own, "Give it to me!"

But before anyone could do anything, both the Son and Daughter were thrown through the glass above them, turns out it was the Father who did it as he stood before them all.

"So glad you could make it to our little party, Father." the Son mocked as he sent Force lightning at him.

"You will stop this." the Father ordered as he deflected the attack.

"You are too weak for me, old man. You mean nothing to me anymore." he said as he overpowered his parent.

"Anakin, now!" Obi-Wan cried as he tossed the blade only for it to be caught by Ahsoka. She then jumped over to present it to the Son; as she did, she looked to her old friends with a sadistic grin.

"Everything has transpired exactly as I planned." said the Son as Ahsoka presented him the weapon.

"You showed them the alter?" the Father asked his daughter.

"I am sorry, Father. I didn't know how else to stop him." she defended.

"Give it to me, child." he said to Ahsoka who gladly did so, "Thank you," he said as he marveled at the blade, "Your usefulness has come to an end." He then pressed his fingers to Ahsoka's forehead causing her to go limp, limp like the dead.

"No!" Anakin cried. As he did, Nairbix (who was still possessed) looked at the sight of his friend before clutching his head in agony. Memories of Ahsoka filled his mind as the pain overwhelmed him.

"The Jedi have brought me the dagger, and you have brought yourself. Now, Father, you will die." the Son said as he raised the dagger ready to strike. But as he did, his sister ran in front of him and took the attack for her father.

As the light surrounding her began to fade, it was then that Nairbix snapped back to reality and looked to the Son in fury. As the Son cried out in anguish, Nairbix roared as he charged at him with his claws tearing through the left side of his face as tears formed in Nairbix's eyes over Ahsoka's apparent death.

The Son clutched his face in pain as he flew off into the night with Nairbix in pursuit. While this happened, the Father cradled his child in his arms as her life was ending. Anakin checked on Ahsoka only to see that she was still just as limp and cold and that her eyes had rolled back into her head.

"My daughter…what have I done?" moaned the Father in sorrow.

"Do not hate him, Father." his daughter pleaded, "It is his nature." she said as life and light began to die all around them; even Natasha's hair and eyes returned to normal from the lack of light.

"No. All is lost. The balance has been broken." he said through his grief, "I thought by bringing you here, I would…but I have destroyed everything."

At the canyons, Nairbix chased after the Son as they flew past the surrounding rock formations. As he flew over the Son's bat-like form, Nairbix reeled back his hand and shouted, "Flux Wave!" sending him crashing down onto the rocks.

Because of this, the Son resumed his human form and sent his red Force lightning at Nairbix landing towards him who retaliated with his own black lightning attack. He walked up to him, picked him up and began to repeatedly punch him square in the face over, and over, and over again as he drew blood.

It was obvious that Nairbix had every intention to kill.

"Can you help her?" Anakin asked holding Ahsoka's body back at the tower.

"There is no light. The evil had been unleashed, and the dark side shall consume her." the Father hopelessly answered.

"You must help her!" Anakin pleaded as his voice broke.

"I cannot undo what has been done. There is no hope."

"Yes, there is. There's always hope!" Anakin replied in denial.

The Daughter then caressed her father's cheek as she nodded at him. He then stood up and took his place in-between both her and Ahsoka and motioned for Anakin to kneel between them. "Then let my daughter's last act be to breathe life into your friend." he said as he used Anakin to make to transfer.

At first, nothing changed, but Ahsoka then shot up coughing and gasping for air. Anakin then embraced his student, "Hey, Snips." he greeted.

While the Padawan had indeed returned to life, Nairbix was too wrapped up in his own anger to sense this as he literally slammed the Son against the ground and walls by the grip on his ankle. He then tossed him into the air and readied his next attack. It was a low kick with a small silver magic circle above his foot and seven more behind it. To better explain, these were going to send off a Flux Wave kick with eight more times the power.

"Bye." Nairbix whispered, but just as he was about to kick him, Nairbix sensed Ahsoka's life force return as the Son fell head first to the ground. "Ahsoka." he whispered just before flying back to his friends. Once he landed, he was quickly embraced by a hug from Natasha.

"You okay?" she asked looking up at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine-" he reassured before being cut off by Natasha kneeing him in the groin. "My balls. My balls-that was a cheap shot." he groaned in pain as he fell to the ground.

"That'll teach you not to go and do stupid stuff like that and make me worry." Natasha growled.

"As the balance in this world crumbles, so shall war escalate in your galaxy." the Father explained as he knelt next to his daughter's corpse, "As my son has descended into the dark side, so have the Sith gained strength."

"We will stop your son." Anakin promised only to be refused.

"No. You must leave. He needs your ship to leave this world. You must leave before he can take it."

"What about you?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I shall mourn all that I have done and all that is yet to be." he replied solemnly.

After they returned to the ship, Anakin was still mulling all the events that had transpired since their arrival. But before he could become too wrapped up in his thoughts, Obi-Wan snapped him out of it.

"I'm getting a little tired of how unreliable the weather is here." he complained.

"Some might say that's part of the appeal." Anakin offered.

"You did well, Anakin. How do you feel?" his old master asked.

"I'm not sure we're doing the right thing by leaving." he replied, "The Son is consumed by the dark side."

"And if we stay, we may be used to the dark side's advantage." Obi-Wan reminded as Natasha and Ahsoka's heads popped up from the inside of the ship.

"Well, you want the bad news or the really bad news?" Ahsoka asked.

"Well, let's try the bad news, laced with a little optimism." offered Obi-Wan.

"Well, we've got two cracked shilo pins, a busted power converter, the engine will need to be fired twice to get rid of all the debris, and the backup vents need charging. What'd you say to that?" Natasha asked.

"Sounds terribly downbeat." he answered as Nairbix flew down from behind.

"Still no sign of the Son." he reported, "Wherever he is, he obviously wants to stay there for a while. Probably still trying to compose himself after killing his sister, I'd wager. How's the ship?"

"Not too good." Obi-Wan replied, "Can it be fixed?" he asked the duo.

"Uh, we can reroute the primary initiator, weld the dampening vents, and that might give us enough power to leave the atmosphere. After that, I have no guarantee she'll hold together." Ahsoka explained.

"We'll take our chances. Better than staying here." Nairbix reasoned as he and the other two Jedi went outside; as they did, Anakin wheeled out one of their speeders. "Where are you off to, then?" he asked.

"To see the Father. I'm not convinced that the Son will be contained here without our help. Perhaps we should make a stand."

"Anakin-"

"If I don't get the Father's blessing to leave…it'll haunt me forever." And with that, Anakin took off into the night.

Roughly an hour or so later, Obi-Wan, Nairbix and Natasha sensed that the Father had decided to stop by and pay them a visit; though it clearly wasn't a friendly one.

"Where's Anakin?" Natasha asked.

"He came to me for guidance," the Father replied, "But at the crossroad, only he can choose. The Force will be his guide now."

"I don't like this. What have you done?" Obi-Wan asked hotly.

"I have done nothing."

"Yeah, this time around." Nairbix mocked dryly.

"I am merely letting the will of the Force take shape."

"Where had he gone?" Natasha asked threateningly.

"To the Well of the Dark Side."

"…That doesn't sound promising." Nairbix pointed out bluntly nervous.

On another part of the world, Anakin zoomed through a dark canyon on his speeder and found his destination. The Well of the Dark Side; which turned out to be a deep volcanic crater with the Son at the bottom.

"Welcome." the Son greeted from behind, "I believe that there has been a misunderstanding. We really don't have to be enemies."

"You murdered your sister." Anakin snarled while pointing at the dark being, "The Force is out of balance. I have to stop you."

"Must you?" he asked; Anakin's response was him activating his lightsaber.

"Anakin has gone to confront your son, hasn't he?" Obi-Wan asked already knowing the answer.

"Deep within this world exists a place where all that is dark is channeled." the Father explained.

"And how exactly do we get there?" asked Natasha hotly.

"You cannot interfere."

"Gee, thanks pot for calling us kettles black." Natasha mocked while glaring at the ancient Force Wielder.

"If were weren't supposed to interfere, then Ahsoka, Natasha, Nairbix and I wouldn't be here in the first place!" Obi-Wan retorted before turning to the Padawan, "Look after the ship. We're going to find Anakin." He barked as he and Natasha used the Force to pull out two extra speeders before taking off.

Back with the Son and Anakin, the Son used the Force to take Anakin's lightsaber. "There is no such use for such crude implements here. I have a gift for you."

"I've had enough of your trickery." Anakin growled.

"Oh, but you'll like this one. I promise." the Son said with dark sincerity, "What if I could show you…the future?"

As he paced around him, Anakin's mind began to fill with images that caused him the clutch his head in pain, agony, and overall despair. "No! No. Stop it." he begged.

"Know yourself. Know what you will become!"

"NO!"

Later on, the other trio flew into the depths of the Well where they found their friend. "Anakin, are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked.

"There has been a change of plan." Anakin said darkly, as he looked at them they could all see that he was in a similar state to what Nairbix and Ahsoka were in hours before. He then used the Force to push Obi-Wan and Natasha's speeders into the lava. "Sorry. You will not understand what I have to do to end the Clone Wars. You will try to stop me."

As he said this, the Son hovered above the others and electrocuted them with his Force lightning. "Anakin, why?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I'm sorry." he apologized, "But I have seen that it is the Jedi who will stand in the way of peace." Anakin then mounted his speeder and took off from the Well.

"He's mine now." the Son gloated before transforming and cackling maniacally.

"Nairbix, can you get us out of here?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Easily, but we ought to wait a moment so they don't notice us. Contact Ahsoka and alert her about what's happened."

"Right." Obi-Wan nodded, "Ahsoka. Ahsoka, can you hear me? Ahsoka?" he called on his comlink.

"Yes, Master." she replied on the other end, "Any success with Anakin?"

"No quite the opposite."

"Master, what are you saying?"

"Anakin has joined with the Son. Do not engage him."

"But-"

"Just do as I say!" Obi-Wan shouted, "Listen to me. You have to disable the ship."

"But I just finished putting it back together." she retorted.

"Ahsoka, please listen." Obi-Wan begged, "We have to prevent Anakin leaving with the Son."

"Yes, Master." Ahsoka complied.

"Alright, hold on." Nairbix advised as he grabbed the two of them and began to fly themselves out of the crater.

"Can't you fly any faster?" Obi-Wan asked after noticing that Nairbix was flying slower than usual.

"I don't know," Nairbix shrugged, "You think you can survive a five-hundred foot drop into lava if you let go?"

"You know, he's got a point." Ahsoka agreed on her own speeder.

"What took you so long?" Obi-Wan asked as he jumped onto the back of the speeder leaving only Natasha being held in Nairbix's embrace.

"Did you take care of the ship?" Natasha asked trying to contain her inner joy.

"Yep," Ahsoka replied holding up a small important piece of the ship, "She won't be going anywhere without this."

"Good. That'll give us some time to save Anakin." Nairbix added as they all took off. Seeing no other safe place to go, they returned to the Father's monastery. As they flew over the arena, they saw that the Father had Anakin with him laid next to him on the ground.

"Master!" Ahsoka called out.

"What happened to him?" Nairbix asked as they landed.

"My son broke the laws of time and showed him what should not have been seen." the Father replied as Anakin regained consciousness.

"I-I don't remember." Anakin informed through his daze.

"I have erased that time from your mind. We will never know."

"Are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked in concern.

"I think so. But we must stop the Son once and for all." Anakin declared as he got to his feet.

"We have little time, and you'll only get one chance." warned the Father, "You know what you must do."

"How quaint," the Son sneered from above, "My own personal send-off."

"I ask you one last time. Do not leave, my son." the Father pleaded.

"You have no power to keep me, old man. You must understand by now, this world is not my destiny."

"What you will do will destroy all that is good." he reasoned, "I beg you, restrain yourself and stay."

"I cannot."

"And then it shall be. I love you, my son."

"Do you?" the Son asked as Anakin attempted to attack him only to be grabbed by the throat and tossed aside. The others then readied themselves only to be pushed away by the Force while the Father took the dagger from his child. "What? You're going to kill me now?" the Son asked through his dark laughter.

"I held hope that you could resist the dark side. But I see now…there is no going back." the Father said as he stabbed himself with the blade.

"Father." the Son said in sorrow, "No! What have you done?! It did not have to be this way!" He then held his father's body against his own.

"Yes, my child, it did. You and I are tied together, your strength runs through me. This way, I take your power."

"…Please, don't die." the Son begged through his tears.

"I always knew there was good in you." the Father confessed as he hugged his son for the last time. As he did, Anakin came up from behind and stabbed them both with his lightsaber.

"And so you have betrayed me, Father." the Son said as death took him.

"It is done." Anakin declared.

"And now I die, my heart broken, but knowing the role…you will play."

"And what is that?"

"You are the Chosen One. You have brought balance to this world. Stay on this path, and you will do it again for the galaxy. But beware your…heart." the Father warned as he took his last breath and joined his children in the next life.

As he died, his body faded away and all that was held by the Force began to collapse; even Nairbix resumed his original form now that the Son had died. Suddenly, a bright light consumed them all and returned them to where they came from.

As they laid in their seats in their ship, the image of Rex appeared on the dashboard. "General Skywalker, come in." he said waking everyone up.

"We read you, Rex. Can you hear me?" Anakin asked.

"Yes, sir, standing by. We were worried. We lost contact with you for a moment."

"A moment?" Anakin asked before lightly chuckling, "We were gone longer than a moment, Rex."

"Sir, I don't understand. You'll need to explain."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. We're coming in now." Anakin informed as they approached the Jedi Cruiser.

 **So, in case some of you didn't know some of the references that I made, allow me to further explain. When Nairbix was explaining his limitations, I made it like when Genie from Aladin was explaining the three rules of wish granting. Why? Because I've been watching these videos on YouTube called Genie's Funniest Moments which have bits from all three movies and the old T.V. show. And when Natasha was talking to Obi-Wan about Snow White and her mother, that was based off of how they were portrayed in the ABC show Once Upon a Time (Huge fan by the way!).**

 **One last thing, my next chapter is going to be another Experiment Fiasco and after that I'm going to be taking a little break from writing this story. I'm starting to get burnt out on Star Wars and I still have like over sixteen episodes that I need to use along with Episode 3 and a few more Experiment Fiascos. So, until next time, bye!**


	26. Experiment Fiasco 2!

**So surprisingly, I managed to get this one done pretty quick. Then again, I did copy and paste a lot of what was used in this which reminds me. This experiment fiasco is going to be split up into three different parts including this one, which has a few songs. Two of them however aren't even from Disney movies. I'll explain why I used them at the end in the second A.N.**

 **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, anything belonging to Disney, Lucasfilms, Star Wars or anything that belongs in a Mel Brooks movie. Enjoy!**

Sometime after their mission following the incident on Mortis, the five friends found themselves catching a breather on Coruscant. Little did they know, things would be picking up in a similar way prior to several months ago.

Currently, Ahsoka, Natasha, Nairbix, and Padme were enjoying a relaxing evening in the Senator's apartment. As they were lounging and enjoying tea, Threepio shuffled into the room and addressed Padme. "Pardon me, Mistress Padme, but it seems that you have been called to return to the Senate building to retrieve documents concerning the new bill that is to be passed."

"Thank you, Threepio." she nodded curtly, "Sorry, but I just need to take care of this real quick."

"Eh, it's fine," Natasha waved off, "We'll just wait here for you until you get back."

"You're sure?"

"Padme, come on, what could possibly happen?" Nairbix asked jinxing the evening for everyone.

"…Okay, but you guys better not starting anything up like that time with the experiment." Padme warned.

"What're you complaining about? You spent the whole time cuddling with 254 while we had to take care of the rest." Natasha retorted. As soon as Padme left, however, a swirling green portal appeared from the corner of the ceiling and spat out a box on the table in front of them.

"IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN!" they all cried in horror. Nairbix then tore open the box and found only three experiment pods inside; the only downside was that each of them had a timer with a vial of water attached to them.

"Damn you, Jumba!" Natasha shouted as the portal closed.

"The next time I see him, I swear I'll cut his belly open." hissed Nairbix.

"Think about that later, which ones did he send this time?" Ahsoka asked through her panicking.

"Uh well, the one that's about to activate will…oh no."

"What-what will it do?!" Natasha asked.

"…It'll be fine as long as we are the only ones that it comes into contact with." But as soon as Nairbix said this, his comlink began to go off with Spades on the other line.

"General VanSull, we just received word of the energy signature and are headed your way." the Clone informed.

"What energy signature-how do you know what's going on?!"

"After the last time your brother sent his experiments over, the Jedi set up a scanner to receive any indication of when he would try it again in the future. Seeing as our squadron along with Commander Cody and Captain Rex along with some of their men were the closest, we decided to step in and assist you."

"Oh, no-oh, no, no, no, no, no!" Nairbix shrieked, "Spades, do not come here, I repeat, do not come here. Wherever you are right now, just turn back-that's an order, Colonel!"

"But, sir, we're already on top of the roof of the Senator's building." Spades informed.

"…Shit!" Nairbix spat. Not a moment later, the faint sound of beeping and glass breaking could be heard from Nairbix's hand. "Shit!" he yelled as the pod expanded in a bright yellow light as it activated. Once the light cleared, a small white faced experiment hovered over their heads softly smiling. It had blue oval-shaped eyes and had flowing green hair with musical note symbols running along as though its hair was sheet music.

"Grab it!" Ahsoka yelled only to fall flat on her face as the experiment easily dodged; by some way or another, it was able to sense the clones up on the roof and fazed through the ceiling like a ghost to meet them.

"Quick, everyone get up to the roof!" Natasha shouted. Once they reached the roof, they saw the experiment disperse a cloud of green dust over Spades' head and flew higher into the air. Then, it pulled out a conductor's baton and took a deep breath.

"Spades?" Nairbix asked as they approached him, none of the other Clones were in sight. Just then, the experiment let loose its breath and began to conduct.

"Step in time!" Spades cried out, "Step in time!"

"Step in time!" Rex and Jackal called back as they popped out from hiding with the others following.

"Step in time!" Cody and his men shouted.

"Step in time!" the rest cried.

"Step in time!" Spades repeated before completely singing, "Step in time, step in time, come on, mateys, step in time." He sang as they all joined in and began to dance as well.

"Step in time!"

"Step in time, step in time, step in time, step in

Never need a reason,

Never need a rhyme

Step in time, you step in time!

Kick your knees up!

Kick your knees up, step in time

Kick your knees up, step in time

Never need a reason,

Never need a rhyme

Kick your knees up, step in time

Round the chimney!

Round the chimney, step in time

Round the chimney, step in time

Never need a reason,

Never need a rhyme

Round the chimney, step in time

Flap like a birdie!

Flap like a birdie, step in time

Flap like a birdie, step in time

Never need a reason,

Never need a rhyme

Flap like a birdie, step in time

Up on the railing!

Up on the railing, step in time

Up on the railing, step in time

Never need a reason,

Never need a rhyme

Up on the railing, step in time

Over the rooftops!

Over the rooftops, step in time

Over the rooftops, step in time

Never need a reason,

Never need a rhyme... step in time!

Over the rooftops!

Over the rooftops!

Link your elbows!

Link your elbows, step in time

Link your elbows, step in time

Link your elbows

Link your elbows

Link your elbows!

Step in time, step in time

Step in time, step in time

Never need a reason,

Never need a rhyme

Step in time, you step in time!" they all sang merrily as the experiment controlled them.

"What the hell is happening?!" Natasha cried while staring at the performance.

"This would be the handiwork of Experiment 214, designed to make anyone that falls prey to its dust to start singing and/or dancing to a song of its choosing." Nairbix replied still staring at the dancing Clones.

"This has got to be the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to the Republic!" Ahsoka wailed.

"Oh, trust me, it's worse than you think, Snips." Nairbix corrected.

"What do you?" they asked bluntly.

"214 analyzes the genetic code of the person that gets covered in its dust and assess which song for them to sing; after that, the dust is modified to control that person through their genetic structure and anyone else who might share it."

"So…that means…"Ahsoka muttered.

"Literally every last Clone in the galaxy is now singing and dancing to this song. In perfect harmony too, as a matter of fact." Nairbix replied nonchalantly as Natasha and Ahsoka became pale.

"Anything else we ought to know?" Natasha asked painfully.

"Yeah, this song that 214 has them doing, is about nine minutes long." he said just as nonchalantly as before, "Well, try and look on the bright side of this." Nairbix suggested.

"Our entire army is literally simultaneously singing and dancing across the galaxy right now!" Natasha shouted in anger, "How the hell is there a bright side to this?!"

"…We now know that the Clones aren't that bad of dancers?" Nairbix replied unsure if he should've said anything. As the Clones continued to dance, Spades, Rex, Cody, Jackal and other members of Noise Maker Squad climbed up to the highest railing.

At first, they all wobbled and tried to maintain their balance just before linking their arms together and kicking in chorus with the utmost perfection. As they proved their point, the rest of the Clones pulled out their riffles and began to bounce and pump them to the music 214 was making.

"Okay, I'll admit, that was pretty impressive." Natasha conceded as they flipped and jumped back to safer area of the roof, "But I've had enough this!" she cried while grabbing Wool's blaster. With a look of pure annoyance plastered on her face, Natasha fired the weapon alerting all of the Clones and the experiment.

At the sight of this, 214 waved its baton at the roof and opened a couple of holes leading back to Padme's apartment. Every last one of the Clones rushed to jump through them and one by one, they rolled into the room as they continued their little number.

Once he heard the commotion, Threepio shuffled into the room and cried at the sight, "Ah! They're at it again!"

"They're at it again, step in time

They're at it again, step in time

They're at it again, step in time!" the Clones sang merrily. It was at this point where the non-dancing trio rolled in through the holes themselves. Unfortunately, the Clones felt the need for bringing them into the song; so naturally, they grabbed Ahsoka by the arm and literally dragged her into it.

"Ow!" she shrieked with the Clones copying her.

Ow, step in time

Ow, step in time

Never need a reason,

Never need a rhyme

Ow, step in time!"

As luck would have it, Padme chose this time to return from the Senate and become involved in the ordeal herself. "What's going here?!" she bellowed at her friends but once she spotted 214, she narrowed her eyes directly at Nairbix, "Nairbix?!"

"End the war, step in time

End the war, step in time!"

"Men, please, stop this." Padme pleaded.

"End the war!"

"End the war!" Padme cried as she joined in with the Clones marching against the war. And to kick them while they were down even more, Anakin of all people popped inside as Kul and Ahsoka were dancing past him.

"It's the master!" Ahsoka exclaimed in both embarrassment and terror.

"It's the master, step in time

"It's the master, step in time

"What's all this?!" Anakin shouted.

"What's all this?

What's all this?

What's all this?

What's all this?

Kick your knees up, step in time

Link your elbows, step in time

Kick your knees up

Kick your knees up

Kick your knees up

Kick em'!" the Clones cried as they all kicked in chorus with the others being literally pulled in. Much to everyone that wasn't under 214's control, the song had finally finished and all of the Clones were left standing in different poses while 214 was giggling up a storm.

"It's finally over." Ahsoka exhaled in relief.

"Would someone mind telling me what the hell just happened?!" Anakin shouted while the Clones shuffled in embarrassment.

"Um…well, my brother Jumba sent another box of experiments again." Nairbix sheepishly admitted.

"Again?! How many times are we going to go through this?!" Anakin yelled, "Please tell me that this is the only experiment that he sent."

"…No…but there are only two more this time around."

"Anything else we should know?" Padme asked.

"…Both of them have timers that will cause a vial of water to burst once the times are up." admitted Nairbix.

"Well, at least nobody got injured this time." Ahsoka threw in.

"Just all the Clones' pride." Natasha countered which made said Clones mutter "shut up" bitterly. But then, Natasha noticed something; the sound of 214's giggling had disappeared-along with the experiment itself! "The experiment's gone!" she cried.

"What?!" they all cried.

"Wh-where did it go?!" Padme screeched, Nairbix quickly dashed over to the balcony and used his magic to try and spot the musical monstrosity. As he sorted through the zooming flying vehicles, he managed to find 214 as it hitched a ride to the worst place possible for it to go.

"It's headed for the Jedi Temple!" Nairbix wailed, "I am so dead!"

"Let's go!" cried Natasha as everyone but the Clones rushed to the door.

"Spades, guys, come on, let's go." Nairbix urged.

"…We're gonna need some private time, General." Spades replied shamefully.

"Bah!" Nairbix waved off as he ran out the door.

Once they arrived at the temple, Anakin gave out an alert to all the Jedi inside, "Attention, all Jedi, this is Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, there is an experiment running loose in the temple. Be on guard but do not engage-repeat, do not engage."

"This will not end well if 214 gets near a large group of Jedi." Nairbix stated.

"Would it be any worse if it got near a small group?!" Anakin asked hotly.

"Yeah, because the larger the group the longer or more embarrassing the song will be!" Nairbix retorted.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan called as he ran to join the others, "They found the experiment in the training grounds and are about to capture it."

"What?! We said don't engage! Don't engage!" Nairbix protested.

"They know that but apparently, they think that they'll be able to take it down or at least kill it if need be."

"They can't!" Nairbix cried.

"Nairbix, we know that you and your brother created it, but it's too much of a threat-look what it did to the Clones." Anakin reasoned.

"No, I mean they literally can't kill it," Nairbix clarified, "All of the experiments are genetically and physically indestructible. You guys try to even smack it with a lightsaber and you'll only make it mad; and trust me, 214 has a lot of embarrassing songs to choose from." He warned as they reached the training grounds.

Near the temple's ancient tree, 214 dodged the group of male masters and knights' attacks. This time, its green hair was auburn red and wrapped around its head; this indicated that it was recharging its technique. Having enough of this nonsense, Windu tossed his lightsaber at 214 thinking it would end the issue.

"Master, no!" Anakin shouted as he jumped down to stop him; but it was too late, the lightsaber struck 214's face. It glared at them all in furry not at all harmed by Windu's attack. It then whipped its hair around letting it loose and change back to green as the dust covered the Jedi.

"Oh, bugger." said Nairbix bluntly. As the dust settled, all the Jedi (Anakin included) had their heads down and stood in two rows and once the music started, Nairbix immediately knew which song they were going to sing and dance to. "Yep, they will definitely kill me once this is all said and done."

"We're men, we're men in tights

We roam around the worlds

Looking for fights

We're men, we're men in tights

We rob from the rich

And give to the poor

That's right

We may look like sissies

But watch what you say

Or else we'll put out your lights

We're men, we're men in tights

Always on guard defending the people's right." they sang happily. After that verse, the formed one single line and began a chorus kick sing silly "la las" and waving their hands after flipping some of the others back to the second row.

"We're men, manly men

We're men in tights

Yes

We roam around the worlds looking for fights

We're men, we're men in tights

We rob from the rich

And give to the poor

That's right

We may look like pansies

But don't get us wrong

Or else we'll put out your lights

We're men, we're men in tights

Tight tights

Always on guard defending the people's rights

When you're in a pinch

Just call for the Men in Tights

We're much!"

As the music quickly ended, every last one of the Jedi looked around in embarrassment and shuffled in anger while 214 laughed up a storm. "Nairbix!" shouted Anakin at the top of his lungs.

"I'm working on it! I'm working on it!" he shouted back as he chased after 214 yet again. Back inside the temple, they lost sight of 214 as they came to four different hallways. "Alright, Natasha and Ahsoka, you two take the right hallway. Obi-Wan, you take the middle; Padme, you and I will take the left."

"Got it." they all replied and went their separate ways. Obi-Wan kept his eyes peeled for any sign of 214 but came face to face with someone he never would have expected, Satine!

"Satine? What are you doing here?" Obi-Wan asked, Satine wasn't really known for stopping by the temple since she arrived to Coruscant.

"I heard that there was some sort of experiment running amuck in the temple and I wanted to get a glimpse at it." the Duchess informed.

"Satine, I'm not sure that this is the right time to catch a glimpse at it."

"Well, I missed out on the last time the experiments were here, and from what Senator Amidala told me, it was quite the experience." Satine replied with a smirk. Little did either of them know, 214 was hovering over them with a devious and mischievous smirk.

Needless to say, 214 released its music making powder over the heads of the old flames; but, be it fortunately or unfortunately, Obi-Wan gently pushed Satine out of the dust's reach taking on a full dose for himself. Oddly enough, he was smiling dumbly; that is to say a dumb love-struck smile at the Mandalorian.

"Obi, are you alright?" Satine asked in concern.

"Of course since I am with you." he replied tenderly.

"What?" she asked curtly, Obi-Wan gently took both of her hands and pulled her over to the large temple windows where the moon shined through them and gazed into her eyes.

"The night is young, and you're so beautiful." he complimented. As he did, 214 hovered over them and the others along with Anakin caught up to the seasoned Jedi. "B-flat." he said to 214 just before bursting into song and startling Satine.

"The night is young and you're so beautiful,

Here among the shadows, beautiful lady, open you heart.

The scene is set, the breezes sing of it,

Can't you get into the swing of it, lady, when do we start?

When the lady is kissable and the evening is cool,

Any dream is permissible in the heart of a fool.

The moon is high and you're so glamorous,

And if I seem over amorous, lady, what can I do?

The night is young and I'm in love with you!"

Everyone else was utterly speechless after hearing their friend's song, their mouths gaping while Satine's was slightly opened with her face burning and red. It was at that moment that the effects of the dust wore off and Obi-Wan realized what he had just done.

Naturally, he was speechless and beyond flustered.

"Satine, I-"

But he was cut off by Satine kissing him passionately.

"Oh, that is so not good." Natasha said curtly at the sight. The two lovers soon parted their lips and gazed into each other's eyes; but before Obi-Wan could say anything, Satine's finger shot up in between their lips.

"We never speak of this again." she strictly stated before speed walking away. Everyone, including Obi-Wan just stared at Satine's back as she left the hallway as awkward silence filled the air.

"…What the f*** was that?!" Nairbix exclaimed. Even 214 was shocked at the sight, that being said, it was the perfect opportunity for the party to catch it; which Ahsoka managed to do after jumping into the air and sealing it into the glass container Nairbix brought.

"Haha! I got it, guys!" she cheered triumphantly.

"And we only had to suffer through three songs this time around." Nairbix nodded with pride.

"And don't remember seeing you sing or dancing, Nairbix!" Anakin, Obi-Wan and Padme shouted in anger while the Narnian dressed in black simply shrugged his shoulders.

He then waved his hand over the container and activated its dehydration function and returned 214 back to its pod form. After he took it out, the sound of electronic beeping could be heard coming from his coat's pocket. In case you didn't quickly make the connection, it was the timer on one of the pods.

It activated and revealed the next experiment that they would face. This one was not at all frightening, it was actually rather cute. It was pink, had a large head with a pacifier in its mouth, rapidly fluttering pink wings, and long tail with a ball-shaped tip.

"Oh…cripes!" Nairbix cursed as he smacked his forehead. It took one look at Nairbix and shook its tail over his head releasing a cloud of pink powder. The moment this happened, Anakin used the Force to shove the experiment into the container where it was reduced back to its pod form.

Short lived, right?

"Nairbix?" Anakin called out, "Buddy, are you okay?"

"Dah!" a cute high little voice called back befuddling everyone who heard the sound.

Fearing the worst, they all slowly looked down at the ground and saw a black haired baby in the same clothes as Nairbix smile at them toothlessly.

The experiment had turned Nairbix into a baby!

 **Yep, I used another song from Marry Poppins and even used two songs from Robin Hood Men in Tights. Why? Well, the song with the Clones I've had in mind for awhile while the other two recently popped into my head after watching the movie a few days ago. And regarding 214, that was purely based off of a pokemon from Black and White (I think), I don't know what it's actually called or what it can do cause I really don't care, the days of pokemon are well behind me. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this one and I'll get the next part out soon, but not too soon because a lot of my readers for my more successful fic deserve not to be kept waiting any longer.**

 **Bye!**


	27. Experiment Fiasco 3!

**Okay, so for some reason this took me a hell of a lot longer than I thought it would. That being said, I had a lot on my plate these past couple of months, prom, finals and graduation. Thank God I'm done with all of that! Anyway, I know that I said that I'd have three parts to this Experiment Fiasco, but I really really really want to be finished with Star Wars by the time I have to go to college. So, that means I'm going to only be using the episodes that have Darth Maul interact with the Jedi and not just the ones that mostly focus on him and Savage. After that, it'll just be the four episodes as one chapter where Ahsoka is framed, a chapter or two of my own, and then finally Revenge of the Sith and I will finally be fricking finished with Star Wars! I'll finally get back to my own chapters and away from working with TV shows for awhile (yeah, I'm using Agent Carter).**

 **Two more things: one, this chapter was a bit half-assed so it's a little bit short. Sorry, but I had a hard time making it work for some reason. Two, don't expect me to be able to update any time soon in June, I'll be out of the country on vacation so my time on a laptop is going to be slim to none; most likely none.**

 **Okay, so enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, anything belonging to Disney, Marvel or Lucasfilms only my own characters and locations.**

Even though that this whole ordeal was downright horrible, Nairbix made one hell of a cute baby. As soon as he was reverted, or rather turned seeing as that this was the first time in his life as an infant, the others got him out of the temple and back to Padme's apartment as quick as they could.

There was no defiant way of telling how old he was, but he was at the point of being able to crawl on his own. "What are we going to do?!" Ahsoka cried as little Nairbi (as they liked to call him) cutely cooed and crawled.

"Natasha, do you know anything about what that experiment does?" Obi-Wan asked in frustration."

"For the tenth million time, Obi-Wan, no! I didn't even know that they made an experiment like that!" she shouted, "I have no way of knowing whether this is only temporary, or if there's a cure, or even if it's permanent…unless,"

"Unless what?" Anakin asked.

"Okay, do you remember when Nairbix was turned into a babbling idiot thanks to that other experiment? He had that little computer that had all the information on the experiments; if we find it, we'll get some info on what happened to him."

"Here, let me go get it." Padme offered as she walked over to her room.

"Wait, Padme, why do you have Nairbix's computer?" Anakin asked.

"He left it here the last time we went through this sort of thing. I meant to give it back, but work's been piling up on all of us." she replied. Once she brought it out, she turned it on and began to search through the hundreds of experiments in hopes of finding the right one.

"There," Natasha alerted, "That's the one."

"What does it say, Natasha?" Anakin asked.

"Experiment 151, primary function, reverting of lifeforms back to stage of infancy. Effects are reversible, that's good, if not reversed, lifeforms will basically need to relive their lives as they did before." Natasha informed.

"What does it say on how to reverse the effects?" Anakin asked.

"Let me see…uh…oh, not good."

"What?"

"Um, says here that the ingredients that we'll need are found only in mine and Nairbix's galaxy." Natasha replied, "A mixture of two teaspoons of applesauce, one cup of milk, thee mashed bananas, and a dollop of 100%…Kona coffee reverts victims to original age."

"Those are defiantly things that we won't be finding anytime soon at the market." Padme added bluntly.

"No, but I may be able to come up with some substitutes if the food here has the same nutrients found in ours. It's not going to be easy, I can tell you guys that much."

"How long do you think it'll take?" asked Anakin.

"I don't know, I don't usually measure nutrients in food-I usually eat whatever the hell I want and don't care about what's in it. Besides, I have no idea what's in the coffee that we need, so things might get a little difficult."

"Why can't you just open a corridor like Nairbix and go get the ingredients that we need?" Ahsoka asked.

"Because, Snips," Natasha replied hotly, "Unlike Nairbix, I can't create corridors to take me wherever the hell I want!"

"What about that transportation device that brought the two of you here in the first place?" Obi-Wan asked, "Do you still have it?"

"Uh, yeah, I've still got it," Natasha replied pulling the device out of her robes, "But I don't know if it'll work. I mean, I made this thing when I was just a kid with my uncle-in fact, we came here because of it by accident alone."

"So why'd you keep it?" Anakin asked.

Natasha shrugged and replied, "Eh, I kept it in case I needed a quick escape or if Nairbix wasn't around to open up a corridor. Not much to it really."

"You kept it in case you wanted to go home." Anakin deduced with a partial glare.

"So?" Natasha asked matching the Jedi's glare, "What, did you think that I was gonna stay for the after party once the war's finished? As soon as this war's over with, Anakin, Nairbix and I are gone. And we are not coming back."

"Why?" he asked using the same arrogant tone he had back when he was a Padawan.

"What?" Natasha snapped.

"Why would you leave and not stay? There's always a fight to face and we may need you guys to help-"

"Have you forgotten that we actually have more important responsibilities of our own that we've been shirking for nearly two years?" Natasha asked calmly though it was clear she was angry, "Has the simple fact of me being a ruling monarch of an entire kingdom that I have left in my family's charge since coming here escaped you brain? Or that Nairbix is supposed to be looking after our worlds and be on the lookout for a massive terrorist group?

"The only reasons that we're here at all are because I'm repaying the debt that I have to Qui-Gon and the two of us promised to come back and help you guys when you needed us. That being said, we are not going to come here at your beck and call whenever the tough gets going. So can we just please focus on getting Nairbix back to an adult?" she asked, she took the awkward silence as a yes. "Thank you. Now then, let's find out if I can use some substitutes for the antidote."

"We might be able to find them at the market in the city." Obi-Wan suggested, "Artoo," he addressed to the droid, "You're coming with us to help search." Artoo whistled in response.

"Wall-E," Natasha said to her droid, "You stay here and keep an eye on little Nairbi here. Make sure he doesn't get into anything and make sure he stays out of sight. Understand?" she asked. Wall-E raised his little claw and saluted to respond. "Good, we'll be back later. Bye-bye, Nairbi!" she cooed as she kissed little Nairbi's cheek causing him to squeal.

As the four Jedi exited the room, Ahsoka spoke up. "Do you really think it's a good idea to leave Nairbix alone with Wall-E?"

"You want to let everyone know that one of our generals and pretty much our ace in the hole has been turned into a baby?" Natasha asked bluntly.

"Good point."

Inside the apartment, Nairbix was having the time of his life by simply crawling around the floor. Wall-E, being the loving friendly droid that he is even let Nairbix ride on him. As time passed, the sound of the third and final experiment pod's time went off. Once activated, the experiment trudged over to the duo.

It was a pudgy light turquoise creature with pure green eyes, on its back were three curved spikes, and on its face was the creepy smile it flashed at Nairbix. Before they could react, the experiment's body began to twist and morph into a new appearance. As it changed, it grew to roughly seven to eight feet and looked down at Nairbix with a terrifying grin; even as an infant, he had a look of pure terror. He looked up in fear at the face of someone he hadn't seen in so many years; the one person he was afraid of, the one person that he both feared and hated with every fiber of his being. The experiment had taken the form of Jadis.

Wall-E had no idea of who this person was or why she frightened Nairbix so much, but he did know she was a threat and she had to be dealt with. But before he could do anything, the sound of Nairbix's screaming caught his attention. Nairbix's face was as red as Natasha's hair and covered in tears as Jadis towered over him and grinned.

Even though he was now a baby, his mind was filled with the memories he had of the Witch; all of his fellow Narnians turned to stone because of her, the woman ultimately responsible for him having to leave his beloved home. After being reminded of his hatred for the Witch, little Nairbi's expression changed from fear to a somewhat cute version of rage. The room then began to shake and the lights began to flicker. Nairbix then gave an outcry of power and blasted hole in the wall barely missing the experiment.

After a few hours of shopping, the Jedi came back with the necessary ingredients and found the damage done to the apartment. Needless to say, they were all shocked at the sight, especially when the found the pouting and cranky baby glaring at the cowering experiment. When it was all said and done, Nairbix was returned to normal and everyone went back to their own businesses.


	28. Darth Maul's Comeback

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, anything Disney, Marvel or Lucasfilms. All I own are my own original characters and locations.**

Sometime after the experiment fiasco, the Jedi and Nairbix returned to their regular duties. As Natasha and Obi-Wan were in the archives, Nairbix came running in with a look of dread on his face.

"Nairbix, you do know that it's impolite to run in a library, don't you?" Obi-Wan teased.

"You guys need to come with me, the council has something the both of you need to see."

"What is it?" Natasha asked.

"The both of you received a message from an old friend of yours." Nairbix replied, "Darth Maul has sent his regards."

In one of the briefing chambers, Obi-Wan, Natasha, Nairbix, Yoda and Windu watched the footage that Maul sent them of him slaughtering innocent refugees on Raydonia. "There will be more innocent blood on your hands, Kenobi and Romanoff, unless you come here." Maul warned in anger over the screaming as he paced around a line of captives. "Face me. Come alone, and if you do not, this world…will burn." he said as he decapitated the captives' heads with one swing of his lightsaber.

"We have to go." Obi-Wan said through his sadness over the loss of life.

"Not alone, you're not." Windu argued, "We'll send a task force with you."

"Bad call," Natasha retorted, "You see what he's capable of. He's a broken, unbalanced monster. We've dealt with him before. We can do it again."

"I disagree. This is clearly a trap." said Windu.

"Against my better judgement, agree with Master Romanoff, I do." Yoda replied, "Finish what they started long ago, they must."

"Aw, no fair!" Nairbix whined, "You two got to fight him last time."

"Shut up." growled Natasha, "We're off to Raydonia." she informed as she and Obi-Wan left the room.

"Master Yoda, if this is indeed Darth Maul, his capture is far too important to leave it to Obi-Wan and Natasha alone." Windu reasoned.

"Hmm, not alone will Kenobi and Romanoff be." Yoda corrected, "An unexpected ally they may have. Trust in the Force we must."

"Hopefully, that'll be enough for those two this time around." Nairbix remarked gaining the two Jedi's attention, "Let's not forget that the last time Maul was causing trouble, we lost a Jedi because of him."

As their ship zoomed through space to their destination, Obi-Wan and Natasha readied themselves for their upcoming confrontation. Once they landed and walked through the carnage, they came to face someone they hoped never to see again, Maul.

He hadn't changed that much from the waist up, but from the waist down, he had two mechanical legs replacing the ones he lost courtesy of them. "Jedi! I have been waiting for you."

"He seems more talkative this time around." Natasha pointed out.

"We're not sure we've made your acquaintance." Obi-Wan said to the former Sith.

"I am surprised you could have forgotten me so easily after I killed your master and you left me for dead on Naboo." Maul said through his gritting teeth.

"I wanna say…Gary?" Natasha mocked.

"You may have forgotten me, but I will never forget either of you. You cannot imagine the depths I had to go to to stay alive, fueled by my singular hatred for you."

"You need to get a hobby, pal, or at least some therapy." mocked Natasha once again.

"That may be so, but we defeated you before, and we can defeat you again." Obi-Wan declared as they activated their lightsabers only to hear Maul chuckle.

"Don't be so certain." he warned as Savage jumped down behind them ready to strike.

"Oh, shit." Natasha cursed as Savage swung his lightsaber at them. The two brothers quickly rendered them unconscious. After dragging them back to their ship, Maul began to vent his anger by beating and tossing the two Jedi around the cargo hold.

"Still as weak as ever." Maul spat as he slapped them before Savage threw them across the room. "And they call the two of you 'Masters.'"

"Really, I don't see how you can call us weak seeing as we kicked your ass all those years ago." Natasha retorted through her pain. Maul then jumped over to her and picked her up by the throat. "Wait, wait- I'm sorry!" she pleaded earning a grin from Maul.

"That was wrong of me to say," Natasha admitted before smirking back at the Sith, "We didn't kick your ass, we cut it off instead."

Angrier than before, Maul slammed the redheaded Jedi's body onto the floor causing her to gasp in pain. "Natasha," Obi-Wan pleaded, "Don't hog all of the fun."

"Are you kidding? I've got ten years' worth of material to use on this guy." she joked.

"You know?" Obi-Wan asked Maul, "When we cut you in half, we should've aimed for your neck." This of course caused Savage and Maul to throw them against the floor again.

"Anything else you'd like to say?" hissed Maul.

"I like your new legs. They make you look taller." Obi-Wan replied earning a pain filled laugh from Natasha.

"He beat by like two seconds, I swear."

Using the Force, Maul pinned them against the wall as he activated his lightsaber and held it close to their necks before speaking. "I will make sure you stay awake long enough to feel every single cut. Your deaths will be beyond excruciating. You will suffer as I have suffered."

"Obi-Wan, I'm starting to think we pissed him off." Natasha choked.

"What a surprise." a voice called out that surprisingly belonged to Ventress, "My former servant, still an animal. And you have a friend now." she said noticing Maul.

"My brother." Savage corrected.

"A brother?" Ventress asked faking interest, "Looks like he's half the man you are, Savage."

"Oh, I got to remember that one." Natasha snickered.

"How unfortunate. I was looking for a challenge, not some wretched castoffs from the Nightbrothers clan. What a disappointment." Ventress teased as she laughed and faded into the shadows.

"Who is this, brother?" Maul asked.

"A Dathomir witch. She betrayed me."

"She knows too much. Destroy her." Maul ordered. They then left the room giving Ventress the chance to help the two Jedi.

"Kenobi, don't tell me someone's finally knocked the fight out of you. Wake up!" she demanded as she slapped Obi-Wan awake. Just before she did the same to Natasha, she quickly grabbed her arm without so much as opening her eyes.

"Bitch, you slap me, and you lose the arm." Natasha warned as she got up and healed herself and Obi-Wan. "What are you doing here, Ventress?"

"It looks like I'm here to rescue you."

"When did you become the good guy?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Don't insult me."

"What a lovely sight to wake up to." Obi-Wan said sarcastically.

"Don't flatter yourself, Kenobi. You've never been much to look at, especially now." Ventress shot back.

"The Jedi and the witch." Savage growled from above.

"Here for our taking." growled Maul from behind. Seeing as he had no weapon, Ventress gave Obi-Wan one of her lightsabers as Natasha summoned her own via magic.

"I want that back." Ventress informed.

"That's fine. Red's not my color."

"You two ready?" Natasha asked as they brothers came closer to them.

"Do you even need to ask?" Ventress retorted. The fight seemed to be one sided as the two Sith brothers used their rage to back each of them into a corner.

"We're outmatched." Obi-Wan stated after getting his ass kicked by Maul.

"You want to run?" Ventress asked.

"We learned from watching you." Natasha remarked.

"Funny." said Ventress sarcastically, "The cockpit?" she asked as Maul jumped down to attack.

"Now!" Obi-Wan cried. As they fought off the brothers and made their way to the cockpit, Maul and Savage attacked them like wild animals as they tried to cut open the door.

"Hurry, Kenobi!" Ventress ordered.

"Working on it." he replied.

"Now would be a good time, Obi-Wan!" Natasha urged.

"Got it!" he yelled as he detached the cockpit as an escape pod.

"That was cutting it a little too close." Ventress growled.

"You do know it's not over." Natasha reminded.

"I know."

"They'll be after all three of us now." Obi-Wan sated grimly.

After dropping Ventress off at Tatooine, the two Jedi returned to the temple to give their report; Nairbix snickered the whole time as he heard how both of his friends had their asses handed to them. Several days later, they gained word of a new lead on Maul and Savage in the Sertar Sector.

"There's the cargo ship." Natasha alerted as she and Obi-Wan reached the planet of Florum.

"It seems Maul and Savage have picked up a pirate escort."

"Oh, goodie, maybe we'll see Hando again." Natasha said sarcastically.

"Now, now," Obi-Wan jokingly soothed, "He's not that bad. The man's a business man."

"An annoying business man that chained us up to Dooku for a whole day." she reminded as Obi-Wan contacted the pirate.

"Greetings, Hando." said Obi-Wan.

"Greetings?" Hando asked, "What kind of menace have you brought to my planet now? First, you lose this system and Grievous comes in and destroys my entire stronghold, leaving me here to just rummage through the leftovers of my once great empire. And now these two horned men show up. Who are these maniacs? They don't seem like normal Jedi."

"Not Jedi, Hando, Sith." Natasha informed, "We've tracked them here."

"They just threatened to attack with a group of my men- my own men!" Hando shouted.

"Yes, we are looking at them right now, a cargo vessel and three of your starships. They are heading towards you, Hando."

"Ah, ah, ah, more to the point, are you two going to help me when you get here?"

"There's nothing we can do about your men, but we can certainly do something about the Sith." Natasha replied.

"Good. I'll deal with my men. You deal with those tattooed crazies. And maybe, Romanoff," Hando began smirking at Natasha, "After we win this fight, you could entertain me and my actual loyal followers with your lovely voice again?"

"Sorry, I'm a one-hit-wonder." Natasha said flatly as she ended the transmission.

Once they landed on the planet and saw the pirates fighting each other, Savage and Maul came up from behind ready to strike once again. "Throwing in with pirates now?" Obi-Wan asked, "Oh, how the mighty Sith have fallen."

And thus, the fight resumed. Given that each of them had their own skills, things seemed evenly matched as Natasha fought Maul and Obi-Wan fought Savage.

"You seem a bit angry. What's the matter, legs rusting?" Natasha teased.

"No, I have plans, Romanoff, and you will not stand in my way this time." Maul growled as they continued to fight.

"Kenobi, Romanoff, this way!" Hando called out from the ruins of his stronghold. The two Jedi then jumped away using the Force and made their escape.

"Where are the rest of your men?" Natasha asked Hando.

"They are setting up an ambush. We can use your help."

"We shall draw the brothers away. Once that's done, blast the passageway closed." Obi-Wan ordered.

"And leave you two to deal with those crazies?" Hando asked, "Well, okay."

"Do not let them escape!" Maul cried as the Jedi and pirates split up. As they ran down the hall, they found themselves trapped at a dead end. "Surrender." Maul demanded.

"Where's the fun in that?" Natasha asked.

"You are no match for us both."

"Ditto." Natasha replied coolly before they resumed.

Filled with rage and hatred, the two Siths' attacks were even more powerful than before, but they were still no match against Natasha and Obi-Wan. Even though they were both pressed against a wall with lightsabers coming closer and closer to their throats, they still gained the upper hand.

Obi-Wan threw of Maul's weapon as Natasha did the same to Savage with an added bonus of breaking his left knee and cutting off his left arm. Out of concern for his brother, Maul sent the two Jedi away with a powerful Force blast causing the hall to cave in before helping Savage escape.

As they tried to leave, they were attacked by the remaining pirates and Maul lost one of his new legs in the process. Even as they made it their ship it was blasted out of the sky; unfortunately, they managed to escape in the ship's escape pod.

"Well, from the looks of things, your two friends have been vaporized, Kenobi." Hando observed as they watched the ship crash.

"I'm not so sure, we cut one of them in half once and he still managed to survive." Obi-Wan argued.

Back on Coruscant in the Chancellor's office, Palpatine gave his final words on the matter after hearing of the events from the two Jedi with Anakin, Windu, Yoda and Nairbix in the room. "I think we have closure on this matter, Master Kenobi."

"I disagree, Chancellor. Everything we've learned from this is that the Sith are persistent. They will not die easily." Natasha argued.

"I understand your reservations, Master Romanoff, but I am afraid we can no longer allow this personal matter of yours to be a concern of the Republic. It does not appear that this Darth Maul is a direct threat to the Republic. We need to redirect your efforts to the cause at hand: stopping Count Dooku and thus ending the Clone Wars." Palpatine informed.

"Maul was trying to build an army of pirates." Obi-Wan reminded.

"So let him." Palpatine waved off, "Let him play with the rabble. They're just petty crooks. It is no relevance to the Senate compared to the Separatist threat. Good day." dismissed Palpatine as he exited the room.

"Obviously, something is stirring in the underworld." Nairbix pointed out, "Crime lords have had too much free reign since the Jedi became distracted by the Clone Wars. Seems like a fertile place for Maul to flourish, if he has indeed survived."

"Hmm, right you may be, Nairbix," Yoda agreed, "But heed the words of the Chancellor we must. A personal matter for you two this is." he said to Obi-Wan and Natasha, "Clouded your judgement may be. In time, if he lives, reveal himself again Maul will. And then act swiftly we will."

"That plan sounds like it will end in disaster if you ask me." Nairbix thought.

Weeks went by and no word of Maul came up, what did come up was that the Mandalorian terrorist group known as Death Watch had managed to take over Mandalore and had Satine as their prisoner. Despite Satine having friends amongst both the Senate and Jedi, they were unable to do anything on the matter because of Mandalore's neutrality.

That being said, it didn't stop Obi-Wan and Nairbix from going all the way to Mandalore to save Satine. Now you may be wondering why Nairbix decided to tag along; well, as he put it, "Natasha got to have all the fun with you against Maul and Savage-it's my turn, damn it!"

After sneaking into the city and into the prison where Satine was held, they managed to find her. Obi-Wan was wearing a suit of red Death Watch armor while Nairbix made himself invisible. "Come to do more of your master's bidding?" Satine asked with her back turned.

"We do our own bidding, thank you very much." Obi-Wan playfully retorted as he took off his helmet.

"Obi-Wan!" Satine cried as she threw her arms around him, "Are you alone?"

"Not quite." he replied as Nairbix briefly made himself visible.

"Hey there, Satine." he greeted.

"He's all I could spare, however, the Jedi Council and Galactic Senate will be of no help to us here." Obi-Wan informed.

"I trust you have an escape plan then?" Satine asked as they left the cell.

"As always, my dear." Obi-Wan replied. As he did, the elevator door opened to reveal a member of Death Watch as they stepped inside.

"There's no record of a prisoner transfer here." he pointed out.

"The orders came from upstairs." Obi-Wan replied.

"What's the authorization code?" the grunt asked only to have his neck snapped by Nairbix.

"Nairbix." Obi-Wan sighed.

"He saw too much! He was gonna rat on us!" he said humorously.

"And just what exactly are we going to do with the body?" Obi-Wan asked as the doors opened to the speeder platform. A moment later, the body was thrown over into the abyss.

"Out of sight, out of mind." Nairbix aloofly said.

"He was the only one you could have brought along?" Satine deadpanned.

"Unfortunately." Obi-Wan said smirking behind his helmet.

"…You two can't tell, but I'm actually giving you both the finger right now." Nairbix informed bluntly. Before they could get away, another grunt came and spotted them before alerting the others. Once they reached their ship, other members of Death Watch fired missiles at it preventing them from taking off. As this happened, Maul (now dressed in black robes with new legs) and Savage (with his new arm) came in on a speeder.

"No, it can't be." Obi-Wan denied as Maul pulled him into his grip.

"We meet again, Kenobi." Maul greeted, "Welcome to my world. Take them back to the palace." he ordered his men. Little did they know, Nairbix was knocked unconscious while still being invisible; it wasn't until hours later after night fell that he came to and found Obi-Wan making his escape with rebelling members of Death Watch.

He then made himself visible and joined his friend in fending off Maul's minions as they boarded a ship. "What took you so long?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Shut up, I received more of the blast than you did." Nairbix retorted as they got onboard and took off for Coruscant. "Where's Satine?"

"…Satine's dead," Obi-Wan answered in sorrow, "Maul killed her right in front of my eyes as he had me on my knees before him."

Nairbix bowed his head in silence before placing a sympathetic hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Obi-Wan." he said sincerely as Obi-Wan gladly took his hand before making the jump to hyperspace.

After they did, another ship came out of hyperspace and made its way to the surface of Mandalore. It soon docked at the loading bay before two guards; as the hangar opened, only one person came out, slowly walking with his hood up wearing dark robes. As he approached the guards, he waved his hand and held them up in the air by their throats using the Force, not even batting an eye as he pressed on.

In his throne room, Maul began to feel a disturbance in the Force. "Hmm, I sense a presence. A presence I haven't felt since…Master!" he gasped. After spoke, two of his men guarding the doors met the same fate as the two before them. Once they were dead, the doors opened and revealed Darth Maul's old master; Darth Sidious.

Seeing the Sith Lord before him, Maul quickly rose from his throne and kneeled; Savage, however, remained standing not knowing who this man was. "Master." Maul addressed humbly.

"I am most impressed to see you have survived your injuries." Sidious informed.

"I used your training, Master. And I have built all this in hopes of returning to your side." Maul said as humbly as before. But Sidious had a different understanding of the matter.

"Hmm. How unfortunate that you are planning to deceive me." he said as he turned his back to his former apprentice and Savage.

"Master?" Maul asked.

"You have become a rival!" Sidious shouted as he threw the two brothers high against the wall, laughing at their pain. Seeing as the Sith lord was now their enemy, Maul and Savage ignited their lightsabers, ready to attack.

From his sleeves, Sidious revealed two of his own lightsabers and ignited them, laughing at the naivety of the two brothers as he easily held his own against their attacks. Moments later, they carried their fight out of the throne room. As Sidious clashed with Maul, Savage charged at him and knocked him off the platform they were on.

However, Sidious spun himself around to face the brothers and pulled them down with him before landing perfectly on the ground stories below. Once they continued, Sidious kicked Savage away as he pushed his brother a great distance into a stone wall. As Maul rose to his feet, he watched as his former master impaled Savage with his lightsabers and tossed him aside over the ledge they were on.

He then rushed down to be with his kin as he died; as he did, Mother Talzin's magic seeped from his body, slowly returning him to his original body. "Brother," he said to Maul, "I am an unworthy apprentice. I'm not like you…I never was."

Maul said nothing as Savage died, but Sidious most certainly did after giving more sinister laughter. "Remember, the first and only reality of the Sith: there can only be two. And you are no longer my apprentice. You have been replaced."

As Sidious jumped down with his weapons ready, Maul activated his own along with the black lightsaber that belonged to the deceased former leader of Death Watch. They charged at each other, slamming blade against blade as their hatred and anger gave them strength, but Sidious was far too skilled and experienced.

When it appeared that Maul had the upper hand, Sidious towered over him and used the Force to strangle him, slam him high against the wall, and send him crashing onto the floor.

"Have mercy." Maul begged, "Please. Please!"

"There is no mercy." Sidious replied as he used Force Lightning to torture Maul. "Do not worry, I'm not going to kill you. I have other uses for you." he informed darkly through his chuckles as he continued to torture his former apprentice.

And thus, the tyrannical comeback of Darth Maul came to an end; and yet, no one ever discovered the reason why.


	29. Padawan Lost

**Disclaimer: I have no rights over anything used in this story except for my own characters and locations. Everything else rightfully belongs to their respective creators. Hope you enjoy and there will be an A.N. at the end.**

A few weeks after Satine's death and Maul's disappearance, everyone continued on in their efforts to put an end to the war. Currently, Nairbix and Natasha were having yet another discussion as they walked through the halls of the temple.

"It's kinda hard to believe that Satine's gone." Natasha said with remorse.

"Yeah, and the last thing I ever said to her was that I was flipping her off." Nairbix added.

"Why are you saying that with regret?" Natasha asked, "I thought you didn't even like Satine?"

"Oh, I didn't, but I could've said something better." he shrugged. Just then, the whole temple shook as the sound of an explosion filled the air. "Never a dull moment." Nairbix muttered as he and Natasha ran to where the explosion came from. They quickly discovered that it occurred in one of the temple's hangars.

Later that day, the council called an emergency meeting to assign Anakin and Ahsoka with the task of who bomb the temple. "How could the Separatists infiltrate the temple?" Anakin asked as he and Ahsoka stood before the masters (with Nairbix leaning against the wall).

"Worse than that it is." Yoda replied.

"What could be worse, Master Yoda?" Ahsoka asked. All of the masters looked conflicted upon answering the question.

"Everything is on the table." Windu remarked, "We have to look into the possibility that it could have been anyone inside the temple, even a Jedi."

"If a Jedi this is, gone to the dark side they have." Yoda added.

"Yeah, 'cause that's the only possible explanation available." Nairbix thought as he rolled his eyes, "Cynical, narrow-minded Jedi."

"I…I can't believe that a Jedi would attack a place this sacred." Ahsoka said in shock.

"We'd like you two to lead the investigation. We can't trust anyone who was here, even a Jedi." Windu informed, "You and Ahsoka will provide an impartial point of view free of assumptions."

"We'll do everything we can." Anakin replied respectively.

"Careful you must be, Skywalker." Yoda warned, "If willing to destroy the temple the attacker is, to great lengths they will go to keep from being caught."

"Then I guess we'll have to go to even greater lengths to catch him." Anakin replied with confidence. Once the meeting was dismissed, Nairbix followed Anakin and Ahsoka back to the hangar.

"Uh, Nairbix, what are you doing?" Anakin asked once he realized his friend was following them.

"Walking with you guys to the hangar." he casually replied.

"But Master Windu said that we were the only ones allowed to lead the investigation." Ahsoka reminded.

"I know."

"…So why are you following us?" they both asked.

"Because I plan on helping."

"But the council doesn't want anyone else involved with the investigation." Ahsoka stressed.

"So?" Nairbix asked, "Guys, I think you've forgotten that I don't have to listen to what the council says. I'm not a Jedi nor do I work for them or even the Senate. There is literally no one in this galaxy that has the right or authority to tell me what to do. I'm here on my own terms and free will, so if the council wants to lecture me about following orders, it'll just go in one ear and out the other."

"…Okay then." Anakin replied unsure of how to properly respond. Once they reached the hangar, they began to further inspect the place. "I can still hear the screaming."

"Do you believe what they said, Master, that a Jedi could do this?" Ahsoka asked.

"Not every Jedi agrees with this war, Ahsoka." Anakin reminded, "There are many political idealists among us."

"But a traitor?"

"Unfortunately, one can eventually become the other." Nairbix replied, "Don't forget Count Dooku, General Krell, Slick; those guys were once allies and now look at them." he reminded as he looked closely at the debris. "Besides, only analysis and our investigation will tell us what really happened if we do it correctly. I think it'd be best if Ahsoka and I begin questioning the witnesses while you stay here, Anakin."

"Alright, let me know what you find out once you're done." he reminded.

"Naturally." Nairbix waved off as they left. In the hospital wing, the duo began their questioning.

"Did you notice anything unusual about the hangar?" Ahsoka asked one of the wounded mechanics.

"Not really." he replied, "Although, I left the hangar five minutes before the bomb exploded."

"Did everything seem alright before that?"

"Everything seemed normal. Is it true that a Jedi might be responsible for the attack?"

"We're not certain of anything at this point." Ahsoka replied, she then walked over to discuss with Nairbix. "This distrust is troubling. Some of these people have worked in the temple for years."

"Fear makes even the most trusting individual irrational." Nairbix reasoned.

"I think I think I know who did it, who blew up the hangar." spoke up one of the other mechanics.

"Who?" asked Ahsoka.

"I believe it was Jackar Bowmani."

"And who's this Jackar character?" Nairbix asked.

"One of the maintenance crew in the hangar."

"What makes you think it was him?"

"I passes him as I was going on my shift change. He had been working all morning in the section the blast came from. It was the last place I saw him."

"Is this him?" Ahsoka asked as she pulled up his picture.

"Yes."

"We need to know, have you seen him since the explosion?" Nairbix asked.

"No. Truthfully, I didn't see much of anything after the explosion."

"Thank you for your time." Ahsoka thanked, "Looks like we need to find Jackar Bowmani, Nairbix." she said as they approached Anakin. "Did you find anything?"

"No," Anakin grimly replied, "But the rumor about it being a Jedi is growing. I can feel the anger and confusion throughout the Jedi Temple."

"Nairbix and I have a lead." informed Ahsoka, "We're looking for one of the Temple workers, Jackar Bowmani."

"One of the witnesses saw him leave the area before the bomb exploded, and we can't find him anywhere." Nairbix added.

"Come on, nobody just disappears." Anakin argued.

"Unless it was well planned out." Nairbix countered.

"It'd have to be very planned out to get past Jedi. I'll talk with security, you two keep searching for more answers and Jackar." Anakin ordered.

"Yes, Master." Ahsoka nodded. Hours later after further inspection, Ahsoka and Nairbix discovered that some of the debris in the hangar had traces of nano-droids from where the bomb exploded; Anakin on the other hand managed to meet with Jackar's wife, hoping to gain more information. Unfortunately, she had none to give.

"So apparently, Jackar was in charge of the weapons for the ships in the hangar and a nano-technology expert." Nairbix explained as he looked over Jackar's file while Anakin and Ahsoka looked over security footage. "Have you found Jackar yet?"

"No." Anakin replied, "I'll go gather some Jedi and search the temple. If he's still here he may be planning another attack."

At the council room, the two Jedi (Nairbix had them stay quiet about him to avoid being lectured by the council) gave their report of what they found. "So you've found nothing so far?" Windu asked.

"We have a clue we're following." Ahsoka defended.

"But we still don't have answers." Anakin admitted.

"It is imperative that the truth be found soon." Windu reminded, "There are whispers that the Senate will hold a meeting to decide whether the military police will need to become involved in the investigation."

"They can't do that. Can they?" Nairbix asked Natasha from behind who nodded.

"Clones died in that explosion, maintenance clones working on the gunships as well as civilians." she reminded, "The Senate tends to take notice of these things no matter where they happen."

Just then, Nairbix's comlink softly beeped with Jackal on the other line. "General VanSull, we have found Jackar." he informed quietly.

"Good work, Jackal." he whispered, "Lock down all exits so he doesn't escape." Nairbix ordered, he nodded towards Anakin and Ahsoka and they left. Once he had the chance, he teleported to join his friends as most of Noise Maker Squad escorted them to the room Jackar was in. But once they walked in, they found nothing.

"Uh, Spades," Nairbix asked, "Where's Jackar?"

"Unfortunately, sir, this was all we could find." Spades replied as he held up a severed hand.

"His hand?" Anakin asked.

"Because he was so close to the bomb?" asked Ahsoka.

"Because he was the bomb, Commander Tono." Spades corrected, "We found traces of the nano-droids you informed us about in Bowmani's bloodstream. Our hypothesis is that they were injected into him to make Bowmani a living explosive."

"Any idea on the motive yet?" Nairbix asked.

"Nothing found in the temple has any indication to a motive, but you'd likely find something at his place of residence." Spades offered.

Following the Clone's idea, the trio made their way to Jackar's (not so clean or welcoming) neighborhood. "You'd think somebody working for the Jedi would've lived in a nicer place." Nairbix said bluntly, "You guys must pay terribly." he joked as Anakin opened Jackar's apartment door.

"Search for the droids, but be careful," Anakin warned, "Remember, he was a munitions expert. I'd rather not set off another explosion today."

"Check and see if he left a suicide note." Nairbix advised.

"Master!" Ahsoka called from another room, "The sensors are picking up traces from the disposal. The nano-droids were in the food."

"I believe the question now is, did he willingly eat them, or did someone feed them to him?" Nairbix pondered.

"What are you doing here?" Jackar's wife Letta asked from behind them.

"We've learned that Jackar was involved in the bombing." Anakin informed.

"That can't be true." Letta denied.

"See if she has any nano-droids on her, Ahsoka." Anakin ordered.

After a quick scan Ahsoka said, "She's clean."

"What do you mean nano-droids?" Letta asked.

"We believe someone set Jackar up and made him the bomb." Nairbix replied, "We'll need to bring you in for more questioning."

"I'll answer any question I can." Letta said nervously. As they made their way outside, Letta darted away to try and escape. However, Nairbix quickly stooped her as he pulled her back with his chains.

"There's one thing I've never really understood about people under suspicion: they always run. Even when nobody's asked them a single question, they run. Not very smart if you ask me."

"Let me go!" Letta demanded.

"Running means you know more than you're telling us." Ahsoka pointed out.

"Jackar is dead, and now you're trying to blame his murder on me." Letta accused.

"Nobody ever said he was dead." Anakin retorted.

"But running proves you had something to do with the bomb." added Ahsoka.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Letta hissed.

"People blamed Jedi because of you. People were killed because of you!"

"Did you feed the nano-droids to Jackar? You will answer me. Now!" Anakin ordered as he yelled.

"…I did feed the nano-droids to Jackar." Letta confessed.

"So you set up your own husband to die." Nairbix stated as he shook his head, "Boy, I bet the two of you had a real wonderful marriage going on."

"You're dealing with things you don't understand."

"Oh, where you're going, you'll have plenty of time to explain everything." Ahsoka said through her anger.

The following morning after imprisoning Letta in temple's prison, the Jedi and Nairbix attended the funeral to the Jedi who died in the bombing. As they all stood in silence, Master Yoda passed before the shrouded bodies of his students and gave his eulogy.

"One with the Force, they are. And our job it is to remember that we will, in time, also pass on. Luminous beings we are, but temporary vessels, our bodies are. And we shall all found ourselves here in time. A moment of silence, I ask, to remember and to move on. Live for the living Jedi, we must. Live through us, forever they will." With a tap of his cane, each of the bodies we sealed into the floor with a beam of light shining from each of their seals.

After the funeral, Ahsoka was called into the prison, apparently, Letta had something to discuss with her. But once she arrived, things took a turn for the worse. Hours later, Natasha and Nairbix went to the prison to see what had happened when Ahsoka never returned. As they walked in, they found a fuming Anakin demanding the clones that he see Ahsoka.

"I said my Padawan is in there." he repeated through his gritting teeth, "Now step aside."

"Anakin, what's going on, where's Ahsoka?" Natasha asked.

"Letta's dead." he said flatly, "She was killed when Ahsoka went to talk to her in her cell and now she's being accused of murder. And this guy is being uncooperative."

"General Skywalker, Admiral Tarkin has ordered that no one be allowed in there." the Clone gently explained as Anakin's fists clenched and trembled in anger.

"I don't care what she's accused of. Let me in." Anakin darkly demanded. Seeing the Jedi grow more and more angry, the Clone indicated to his guards to escort them out.

"Sorry, sir. The admiral's orders stand. This is now a military operation and under his jurisdiction."

"Anakin," Nairbix said trying to calm his friend, "Let's go. There's nothing you can do about it."

Still glaring at the Clone, Anakin reluctantly complied and left with his friends. "This is completely ridiculous!" Anakin growled as they left the building, "Ahsoka would never do something like this. She's obviously been set up."

"We know, Anakin, and we agree." Natasha reassured as they boarded their hovercraft and made their way back to the temple. "But the matter is out of our hands. All we can do is wait this out and try and find out who's really behind all of this. And that may involve looking within our own ranks as well."

"General Romanoff, come in." Wulfric called from Natasha's comlink.

"What is it Wulfric?"

"We've just received word Commander Tono has escaped her cell and is attempting to escape the prison. Colonel Spades, Captain Rex and I are headed there now."

"Stand by, we'll meet you there." Natasha ordered as she turned the hovercraft around. Once they met up with their Clones, the party ran inside the prison where they came across the Clones commander from before.

"Suspect has killed three troopers. Code Red. If you see the target, shoot to kill." he ordered his men via comlink.

"Belay that order, Commander Fox." Anakin ordered.

"She's killed troopers." Fox argued.

"I know Commander Tono." Rex defended, "She would never do something like this."

"We can vouch for that too." Spades added as Wulfric nodded.

"Then who did?" Fox hotly asked.

"Quiet!" Anakin hushed, "Ahsoka!" he called out hoping she would hear his echo. "It's me, Anakin. Natasha and Nairbix are with me too. Stop running."

"You can't help me, Masters." Ahsoka called back, "Someone's setting me up."

"We believe you, Ahsoka." Natasha called.

"But no one else will. Just you three." she said, it was obvious that she went back to running after she said that.

"Keep searching until we find her." Anakin ordered the Clones, "Rex, call security. Tell them to search the entire base. Now!"

"General Skywalker has just issued an all-points bulletin on Commander Ahsoka Tono. She's killed three Clones and should be considered armed and dangerous." Rex warned as the three generals continued their search for Ahsoka.

As they made their way outside, they followed the Clones hot on Ahsoka's tail to the industrial pipeline. "Set weapons to stun!" Nairbix ordered the Clones as they ran after the Padawan. "Do not shoot to kill. Do not shoot to kill!"

"Try to box her in, don't let her escape!" Natasha ordered over her comlink to the Clones, "Oddball, what do you see?"

"She's heading west along the central viaduct."

They all ran as quickly as possible and saw Ahsoka running from the surrounding Clones, deflecting their stun rays with only her original green lightsaber. As they all surrounded her, Ahsoka jumped far away and continued her escape through one of the massive pipes.

The Clones chased after her, but the trio knew the Padawan better than they did; so when the troopers went one direction, they went another knowing that it was the route Ahsoka took. And sure enough, they caught up to her. She was standing before an enormous hole that would lead to the lower districts of Coruscant.

"Ahsoka, what are you doing?" Anakin asked.

"You didn't even try to come and help me." she accused.

"They wouldn't let us come in to talk to you." Anakin reasoned.

"You could have if you tried."

"How would that look, Ahsoka, huh?" Natasha asked, "Forcing our way in would've made you look even more guilty."

"I'm not guilty!" Ahsoka cried on the verge of heartbreak.

"Then we have to prove you're innocent. The only way we can do that is by going back." reasoned Nairbix.

"I don't know who to trust."

"Listen," Anakin pleaded, "We would never do anything to or let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka, never."

"But you need to come back and make your case to the council." Natasha pleaded, "I can try to reason with them- help them see that you are innocent."

"No." she refused, "I'm not going to take the fall for something I didn't do!"

"I am ordering you to put down your lightsaber and come with us now!" Anakin ordered, "Trust us." he pleaded.

"Generals, where are you?!" Fox called out from the tunnels.

"I do trust you. But you three know as well as I do that no one else will believe me. Anakin, Nairbix, Natasha, you have to trust me know."

"Ahsoka, we do trust you!" Nairbix stressed as they began to approach her; but she held he hand up to stop them.

"I know you do." she said as the Clones closed in, "Wish me luck."

And with that, she jumped over the side and plummeted before gracefully landing on one of the ships down below. Later that night at the temple, the council was gathered to hear what Admiral Tarkin had to report on the whereabouts of Ahsoka.

"After further investigation, there can be little doubt that the Clone officers murdered in the escape were killed by none other than Ahsoka Tono herself." Tarkin informed, "She used a Jedi mind trick to convince the Clone to open the door and then proceeded to cut him down along with five other Clones along the way."

"Bull shit." Nairbix cursed under his breath as he crossed his arms and leaned heavily against the wall.

"I do not believe that Ahsoka could have fallen so far." Plo Koon said in sorrow.

"The beliefs of the Jedi Council are irrelevant." Tarkin interjected, "We deal strictly in facts and evidence, and the evidence points to Padawan Tono being guilty of the attack on the temple and the murder of the Republic officers. This is sedition." Tarkin said swiftly as the transmission ended.

"I don't believe a word of that." Natasha said flatly as she leaned back in her seat, "They're making Ahsoka a scapegoat to cover their asses."

"Skywalker," Mundi asked, "Was there no way to stop your Padawan before she escaped?"

"No, Master Mundi." lied Anakin.

"The Council believes that Ahsoka may be guilty of the crime, still believe they are wrong do you, hmm?" Yoda asked Anakin.

"I believe she didn't kill those troopers or the woman who used the nano-droids to blow up the temple. That's why she's running. To prove her innocence."

"I agree with Skywalker. There are too many holes in this story and yet Tarkin has already put a mark on her head." Natasha added.

"Same here." Nairbix threw in.

"Now she's in the lower depths." said Windu, "With her skills, she will be hard to find."

"Three teams we will send." Yoda nodded, "Master Skywalker, Master Romanoff and Master VanSull, with Clones you will go."

"I think it would be best if these three stayed here." Windu interjected, "Having you involved may actually make things worse."

"Master Windu, with all due respect, she is my Padawan." Anakin pleaded, "And if it hadn't been for Masters Romanoff and VanSull's assistance in her training, the both of us could've ended up in unpleasant situations a hundred times over."

"The reason for you three not to go." Windu countered.

"I think we are being foolish if we take them off this mission." Obi-Wan argued through his hologram, "Who knows her better than them?"

"They're emotionally tied to her. Probably too emotional to do what needs to be done."

"We'd rather capture Ahsoka and find out the truth then let her run because of a lie." Natasha argued.

"You must prove to use that you will stay focused. Can you?" Yoda asked.

"I've already alerted security on the lower levels to be on the lookout for Ahsoka." Anakin replied.

"Go swiftly then," Yoda waved off, "Bring back this lost child before it is too late."

"Yes, Master." Anakin said as he and Natasha bowed to the Council and walked out with Nairbix. With their Clone platoons aiding them as they flew in their gunships, Spades gave his report to Nairbix.

"The lower level police claim to have spotted Commander Tono heading to level 1312."

"Alright, boys, let's bring her home." Nairbix said to Noise Maker squad. As they came down to the lower level, they actually managed to find Ahsoka; but with Ventress of all people! Not a moment later, all three of them jumped down from their ships and ran after them. Unfortunately, Ventress was quicker and activated an electric field separating them as they escaped.

"Send out the probes, I want them found now!" Natasha ordered the troopers. It wasn't until a couple of hours later until they found her again, only this time unconscious courtesy of Wulfric's stun gun. To make matters worse, they found her surrounded by dozens of crates filled with nano-droids.

The next morning, the Council was once again contacted by Admiral Tarkin over the matter of Ahsoka. "The Senate requests that Ahsoka Tono be indicted for acts of treason against the Republic."

"A fair trial Padawan Tono will have in accordance with Jedi tradition." Yoda replied.

"Ah, yes. Jedi tradition. I'm afraid, Master Yoda, that the Senate believes that an internal Jedi trial would seemed biased. Therefore, the Senate asks that the Council expel Ahsoka Tano from the Jedi Order so that she may be put to a Republic Military tribunal, where she will receive a more impartial judgment."

"And who exactly would represent Ahsoka in this tribunal, Admiral?" Natasha asked, "He seems to be enjoying this way too much." she thought.

"That would be up to the Council, General, but I would recommend someone outside the Order."

"The Council will act as they deem necessary. Thank you, Admiral." Windu dismissed as the transmission ended.

"Surely we cannot do as Tarkin suggests." stated Obi-Wan, "We need to stand together with Ahsoka."

"And yet there's evidence that she is indeed the mastermind behind the attack on the temple." Mundi countered before another Jedi agreed with him.

"She was in possession of nano-droid explosives. This alone is enough to convict her."

"I understand your sentiment, Obi-Wan, and yours as well, Natasha, but if the council does as you suggest, it could be seen as an act of opposition to the Senate." Windu reasoned, "I'm afraid we have little choice."

"To the Chamber of Judgment, summon Skywalker and his Padawan, and in our decision, may the Force guide us." Yoda said to the Council.

Sometime later, Nairbix waited for Natasha outside the entrance to the chamber to hear of what transpired. As she walked out, he quickly caught up to her. "Well, don't keep me in suspense. What happened?" he asked.

"Agh, the whole was just a formality; only a select few member, namely the only ones who spoke the whole time, already came to a decision before the trial began." Natasha groaned.

"And, and?"

"Sigh…Ahsoka's been expelled from the Order; she's now in the custody of the military police until her tribunal. Anakin was furious."

"I can imagine." Nairbix nodded, "Expelled. How blind can they be? Everything used to frame her has been completely and utterly sloppy!"

"I know and so does Obi-Wan. We tried to convince them, but you know Yoda and Windu; they only ever listen to each other during Council meetings."

"Great, so now Ahsoka's going to be tried for treason, homicide, multiple accounts of murder, and conspiring with a former Separatist and war criminal!"

"Not only that, but it's most likely that even if we manage to find any actual evidence, Tarkin will just wave us off and smirk as he watches Ahsoka stand there helplessly and innocent before the Chancellor at the tribunal."

"Is there anything we can do now?" Nairbix asked.

"Aside from finding the real murderer? No." Natasha replied, "Though Tarkin did give us the option of choosing someone to represent Ahsoka from the Senate. I just hope Padme isn't too busy."

"You know just as well as I do that she would drop everything just to help save that girl." he reminded, "And, you also know just as much as I do that Anakin will stop at nothing to save her too."

"Even if it means going after Ventress without us?" she asked with a smirk.

"We'll just have to remind him not to leave us behind once we catch up with him now, won't we?" Nairbix asked setting their next move in motion. Sure enough, they found their friend trying to beat answers out of the former Sith in an ally back on level 1312.

"So this is what happens when you go off on your own?" Natasha asked as they jumped down to join them, "Not very discreet, Anakin."

"She knows something," he turned to Ventress in his iron grip, "Tell me what happened!" he bellowed as he choked her.

"When I heard your little brat was on the run, I thought she might bring in a large bounty." Ventress admitted through her choking.

"Bounty?" Anakin snarled.

"I was going to catch your pet and turn her over to the authorities, collect whatever bounty was due."

"What stopped you?" Nairbix asked as Anakin let go of her.

"At first-I admit- I was only interested in the money and a little bit of revenge, but then I realized your fallen Padawan and I had a lot in common." Ventress confessed sparking even more rage in Anakin.

"How dare you compare yourself to Ahsoka?" he growled.

"It's true!" she shouted, "My master abandoned me, and that's exactly what you did to her, you and your precious Jedi Order. After I left the warehouse, after I left your little Padawan alone, I was walking away, and I thought she came up behind me to talk more. But I was wrong. Someone came out of nowhere and hit me from behind. Not just anyone can sneak up behind me."

"Another Jedi?" Natasha asked.

"It had to be." Ventress nodded.

"I don't believe you." Anakin glared.

"Believe it." Ventress shot back, "Whoever you're looking for has my lightsabers. That's how you'll know you've found your criminal."

"Well, this leads us to another dead end." Anakin sighed, "You're the only one Ahsoka talked to."

"…That's not true." Ventress corrected.

"Come again?" Nairbix asked.

"Your Padawan contacted the temple." Ventress further explained, "She spoke to someone named Barriss. That's why we knew to go to the warehouse in the first place. It was this Barriss that told us where to go."

"If you're lying, you're dead." Anakin threatened in her ear.

"Such promises." Ventress teased as they jumped away back to the temple.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Natasha asked her friends as they flew back to the temple.

"I hope not." Anakin replied.

"If it really was Barriss who set Ahsoka up, then it'd be best if only one of us went to confront her. You may want to take on that task, Anakin." Nairbix suggested.

"With pleasure." he growled, "Where will you two head then?"

"We'll head to where the tribunal is being held." Natasha replied, "Hopefully, Tarkin hasn't already tied the noose for Ahsoka."

After dropping Anakin off to confront Barriss, Nairbix and Natasha hurried to where the tribunal was. As they arrived, they could hear the Chancellor's voice carry through the halls. "I'm sure many of you look at this former Jedi and think 'surely, this cannot be the murderer or saboteur that they speak of.'" Palpatine said to the court, "And yet, think of all the times we have been fooled by the Separatists and how they have infiltrated the Republic and ask yourself, 'is this another Separatist scheme?' Another way to rip the Jedi, and subsequently all of us, apart."

"This does not bode well." Nairbix muttered.

"Anakin," Natasha groaned, "You better hurry."

"The members of the court have reached a decision." a member of the jury announced as he sent the verdict to Palpatine.

"Ahsoka Tono," he addressed, "By an overwhelming count of-"

"Chancellor." Anakin interrupted, behind him were a group of temple guards and a contained Barriss.

"I hope you have a reason for bursting into our proceedings, Master Skywalker."

"I am here with evidence and a confession from the person responsible for all the crimes Ahsoka has been accused for." Anakin announced, "Barriss Offee, member of the Jedi Order and traitor."

"That little bitch." Natasha cursed as the room filled with gasps.

"Barriss, is that true?" Ahsoka asked her so-called-friend.

"Tell them the truth." demanded Anakin.

"I did it…because I've come to realize what many of people in the Republic have come to realize, that the Jedi are the ones responsible for the war, that we've so lost our way that we have become villains in this conflict, that we are the ones who should be put on trial, all of us!" cried Barriss, "And my attack on the temple was an attack on what the Jedi have become, an army fighting for the dark side, fallen from the light that we once held so dear. This Republic is failing! It's only a matter of time."

"Take her away." Palpatine ordered. Later that day as the sun began to set, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Yoda, Windu, Natasha, and Nairbix all stood in the council room to apologize to Ahsoka.

"Ahsoka," Anakin began, "I am so sorry about everything."

"You have our most humble apologies, Snips," Natasha added, "The Council was wrong to accuse you." she resisting the urge to glare at the members present who did not believe them.

"You have shown great strength and resilience in your struggle to prove your innocence." Obi-Wan complimented, "This is the true sign of a Jedi Knight."

"This was actually your great trial. Now we see that." Windu added.

"No, no, they can't be serious." Nairbix denied in his mind, "They can't be trying to cover all this up with such pathetic excuses now, can they?"

"We understand that the Force works in mysterious ways," Windu carried on while Ahsoka look unimpressed and unhappy, "And because of this trial, you have become a greater Jedi than you would have otherwise."

"Back into the Order you may come." Yoda offered kindly.

"They are." Nairbix growled in his mind, "Those bastards!"

"They're asking you back, Ahsoka." Anakin clarified, he then held out her Padawan beads and offered them to her with a smile filled with hope. "I'm asking you back."

At first, it seemed as though Ahsoka was going to take back her beads, but after thinking for a moment, she gently closed Anakin's hand around them and looked at him in sadness on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry, Master, but I'm not coming back." she said to him and made her way out of not just the room, but the temple itself. Utterly shocked, Anakin and Natasha began to go after her while Nairbix stayed behind, mulling over his thoughts.

As Ahsoka walked outside, Anakin and Natasha ran after her, pleading for her to stop. Ahsoka, wait!" Anakin called out.

"Ahsoka, we need to talk to you!" Natasha called, thankfully, the former Padawan stopped. "Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"The Council didn't trust me, so how can I trust myself?" Ahsoka asked.

"What about us?" Anakin asked, "We believed you. We stood by you!" Anakin reminded as his heart began to break.

"Anakin, Natasha, I know you two and Nairbix believe in me, and I'm grateful for that. But this isn't about any one of you. I can't stay here any longer, not now."

"The Jedi Order is your life." Anakin reasoned, "You can't just throw it away like this. Ahsoka you are making a mistake."

"Maybe, but I have to sort this out on my own, without the Council, and without the three of you."

"I understand. More than you know." Anakin said as he pulled her in for a hug, "I understand wanting to walk away from the Order."

Taken aback from the hug, Ahsoka was quiet for a moment but then hugged Anakin back before whispering in his ear, "I know." She then hugged Natasha who was trying not to cry as well and began to make her way down the main stairs of the temple.

"So," Nairbix said as he appeared out of nowhere behind them, "She's made up her mind then?" he asked.

"Yeah." Anakin replied as he made his way back inside the temple, heartbroken over the loss of his student.

"I can't even imagine what it's like to lose your life's purpose at such a young age." Natasha said shaking her head as she watched Ahsoka walk away.

"She may not be as bad off as you may think, Natasha." Nairbix disagreed.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Ahsoka may just have another path ahead of her should she take it." Nairbix said mysteriously.

"…What are you going to do?" she asked, Nairbix looked out at Ahsoka's back and turned to look at Anakin's before he answered.

"Something I should have done almost twelve years ago." he replied just before vanishing in a wisp of darkness.

As Ahsoka continued down the steps, she walked past Nairbix resting on the edge of the side of the steps. "If you're here to try and talk me into going back, forget it, Nairbix." she waved off as she kept walking.

"No, Snips, I'm not here to do that."

"Then why are you following me?" she asked as she reached the flat platform before the next flight of stairs and took a seat on the last two steps.

"Because you're my friend, and you need me." he sincerely replied, "I can tell right now that you feel empty and lost inside. Not exactly the best attitude before starting a new life journey."

"…I just can't believe that out of everyone I knew in that Order, you three were the only ones who believed in me; who actually fought for me when I was backed up against a wall!" Ahsoka cried as the tears finally fell down her face and she hid her face in her arms.

"…Ahsoka," Nairbix began as he took a knee three steps above he right shoulder where he rested his hand. "How would you like to become a wielder of the Keyblade?" he asked.

Hearing this, Ahsoka gasped and jerked her head up at the offer. "What?" she breathed.

"I'm not about to just let my friend go out there alone and heartbroken. You need a purpose in life, Ahsoka Tono, and I think I have the perfect one for you; should you accept."

"You think that I can wield a Keyblade?" she asked.

"Hmm-hm," he nodded, "I do. The last time I saw such potential to wield one was in Anakin; I'm not about to just let you slip through my finger like he did. But this your decision, Ahsoka. Only you can decided if this is what you want."

"…What's the catch?" the former Padawan asked as Nairbix sat beside her gazing at the sunset.

"The catch." He repeated, "The catch is if you are able to wield the Keyblade and accept my offer, you will never be allowed to return to this galaxy. Ever."

"Can I ask why?"

"It takes a lot of magic and skill to open corridors leading to other worlds, Snips. Going from one galaxy to another, that might just kill you. I'm only able to do it so easily because of my unbelievable magic skills and reserves."

"…Would you train me?" she nervously asked.

"Sigh, as much as I would like to, me fighting in this war would prevent you from learning even the first level of the basics. No, I wouldn't be the one to teach you. But, I would send you to someone I know of who is more capable and a better teacher for you and has much more time on their hands. So I'll ask again, do you want to become a wielder of the Keyblade?" he asked.

After thinking things over for a moment, Ahsoka looked her friend in the eye and nodded with determination. "Yes."

"Good. Please kneel." Nairbix ordered as Ahsoka complied. He then summoned his Keyblade and cleared his throat and recited the words of the Inheritance Ceremony.

"In your hand, take this Key. So long as you have the makings, through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend-no ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love."

With these sacred words spoken, Nairbix handed his Keyblade to Ahsoka and watched as it stayed in her hands proving that she too could wield the mighty weapon.

"Congratulations, you are a wielder of the Keyblade." Nairbix praised; he then waved his hand and opened the corridor that would lead Ahsoka to both her new life and new teacher. With a smile on her face and tears of joy in her eyes, Ahsoka stood up and tightly hugged her friend thanking him in his ear as the Keyblade vanished.

Looking at the dark void in both excitement and nervousness, Ahsoka turned back to her friend and said only two words, "Goodbye, Nairbix."

"Goodbye, dear Ahsoka." Nairbix said back as he let her go and watched her walk through the corridor before it vanished. "Until our next meeting."

 **You read right, I made Ahsoka become a wielder of the Keyblade. Phew! You guys have no idea how long I've been wanting to write this chapter. You know what this means now? Now, the only Star Wars production I have left to type up is Revenge of the Sith and then I'll fina-fricking-ly be done with Star Wars for the rest of this damn story!**

 **Don't get me wrong though, I love writing this thing, but oh my God does it get old having to go through dozens of episodes of a show you've already seen and work your characters into it!**

 **That being said, the next chapter will not be Revenge of the Sith. In fact, that will probably be after the next one or the next two. Don't worry, I have something great in store before we finish up in this galaxy and yes Ahsoka will make more appearances later on, mostly when Nairbix goes back to fighting the Inquisition.**

 **But until then, it will be awhile before we see Snips again. And most likely me on account of how much I'll have to write and how long each of these next few chapters will take. I mean, the one or two won't be as long as Episode 3 but, I plan to make them long enough to where I'm not rushing things to get done with this saga like the last two.**

 **You got to give me credit though, this is the fastest I've been posting since the first ones I had already typed out when I first started this thing; school being out really helps too.**

 **So anyway, stay tuned and I hope you enjoyed this one!**


	30. Invincible?

**Alright, we're finally to this chapter. This one, well, this one took a little bit of time to develop properly over the months that I've been working on this story. In this chapter, you'll find that there's a speech in it not originally written by me; trust me, I'm not a genius like the one who wrote it. Spoiler Alert incase you want to be surprised, it's the Greatest Dictator speech preformed by Charlie Chaplin. If you want to listen to it on YouTube, I suggest looking it up with the Inception music as the background, if you look it up you'll find it at the top.**

 **Before you get to reading, just to let you know, there will be another A.N. at the end; it's kinda important if you want a detailed explanation about what happens but you don't necessarily need to read it.**

 **Anyway, Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, anything Disney, Marvel or Lucasfilms or the speech included. All I own are my own characters and locations. Enjoy!**

Three months had passed since Ahsoka's departure, the war seemed to be headed nowhere fast. Nothing seemed to have changed on either side. The Republic would lose Clones and systems to the Separatists and then months later, the Jedi would regain them. The whole thing began to seem completely pointless to Nairbix.

But he was a man of his word and he gave his word along with Natasha to the Jedi that they would help fight the war until it ended; or at least until they were no longer needed. At often times he wondered how Ahsoka was doing as a new wielder of the Keyblade. Given the master he sent her to, he had a feeling that even though she would probably curse his name during her training, she would gain tremendous results.

For some reason however, Nairbix refused to tell Obi-Wan, Anakin, or even Natasha the master he sent Ahsoka to. Every time they asked he would always say, "Ignorance is bliss," or "Curiosity killed the cat," and even sometimes, "Lose lips sink ships."

The actual reason why Nairbix refused to tell them was that the master he sent Ahsoka to was-

"Hey!" Nairbix shouted to the narrator, "No spoilers, damn it! We need to keep that a secret until after the fourth story, remember?"

…Moving on, Natasha had requested to be taken from the outer rim for a while; with what happened to Ahsoka, she felt the need to keep a closer eye on the council. They didn't seem as trust worthy as before; not that she trusted them all that much in the first place. While she stayed at the temple, she took to teaching the younglings their lightsaber forms. All in all, she enjoyed working with the children and taking a breather from all the fighting for a change while Anakin and Obi-Wan remained in the outer rim.

As for Nairbix, he took a different approach with the help of Noise Maker squad; their objective, look deeper with in the Republic's/Senate's secrets. You may be wondering why that is, yes? Well, Nairbix didn't take what happened to Ahsoka lightly, he found it extremely suspicious that Tarkin's so called 'facts and evidence' were so believable to everyone in the Senate even though it was all a poorly planned ruse.

At first he considered going to Padme, but then he remembered that if he got her involved in any sort of espionage, she would get in trouble too. Thankfully, his men were loyal enough to him to where they were more than glad to assist him; no one was going to threaten the Republic and get away with it on their watch.

Their first stop, infiltrating Chancellor Palpatine's office. It was surprisingly very easy to get in, especially since the chancellor was attending a session of Congress at the time. "Uh, General," Dars asked as they entered Palpatine's office, "Are you sure that we should be doing this?"

"Dars, let me ask you this," Nairbix began flatly, "After everything fishy that's been going on lately, what with Ahsoka, the Zilo Beast, and Fives, rest his soul, do you honestly think that there isn't something odd going on?"

"Well, uh-of course not, sir." Dars defended, "I was just asking in concern for the squad."

"Hmm, can't say that I blame you, all of you technically are committing treason right now." Nairbix bluntly shrugged as he walked past the bewildered clone, "Wool, you got that computer up and running yet?"

Wool nodded and gave a series of his odd hand gestures as Tear brought up the chancellor's files. "Alrighty then, boys, let's have a look-see at what the chancellor is hiding."

"Um, sir?" Keres alerted, "The chancellor is on his way here."

"What?!" he exclaimed, "I thought the session just started! Why is he coming back so bloody soon?!"

"I don't know, but he's even closer than he was before." Keres replied.

"Make yourselves scarce!" Jackal cried as most of the younger clones began to panic.

"Shut up! All of you, shut up!" Nairbix shouted. He then waved his hands and in an instant, they all turned invisible. "Alright, now all of you sneak out as quietly as possible while I take care of this. Understood?" he asked only to hear silence. "Um, guys, if you're nodding yes I-I can't see you; you're all invisible, remember?"

Silence.

"…I guess they already snuck out." Nairbix assumed before huffing in annoyance, "Glad to know they were so quick to leave…bastards." he spat as he made himself invisible. A moment later, Palpatine walked in with Padme, several other Senators, and a few reporter droids for the news.

"Chancellor," one of the droids asked, "Is it true you ended the session of Congress early due to the threat on your life?"

"Someone threatened the chancellor?" Nairbix asked himself.

"I ended the session ought of concern that if I were to remain then whoever among the Separatists who has threatened me would not bring the Senators to harm." Palpatine replied, "As it happens, I have asked the Jedi Council to task two of their Jedi to look into the matter and discover this identity of this terrorist."

"Would these two Jedi happen to be Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

"No, they are currently fighting in the outer rim. Instead, I have requested that Master Plo Koon and Master Romanoff take on the responsibility."

"Natasha and Plo Koon? That's a first." Nairbix thought bluntly. He then slowly made his way towards the door but unfortunately tripped on one of the smallest reporter droids and fell flat on his face, ending the spell.

As he became visible, the room filled with silence as everyone stared at him. "It's like that time on Geonosis all over again." he grumbled in his mind. He then picked himself up and dusted off his coat and nodded to everyone in the room.

"Chancellor," he nodded as he tried to exit, "Senators…good day." As he tried to leave, two of Palpatine's personal guards blocked his path and seized him. Now as you can imagine, Nairbix could've easily fended them off, but he felt that would be a terrible idea that would only get him into more trouble.

Sometime later, Nairbix found himself looking curiously around in the interrogation room he was in; the whole time he could only think how weird it felt to be on the other side of the glass for a change. A moment later, Padme walked in in order to question her old friend.

"Nairbix," she addressed as she sat in front of him, "Would you mind telling me why you were eavesdropping on the chancellor today?"

"Well, to be honest, I wasn't eavesdropping. I was actually snooping around through his office to gain some answers."

"Questions about what?" Padme asked.

"The chancellor." he replied without hesitation. Padme's mouth slightly slacked once she heard this but continued with her questioning.

"Um, wha-what questions do you have about him?"

"Hmm," Nairbix hummed with sarcasm, "Let me think, how about, why did he bring the Zilo Beast here only to torture it and eventually kill it? Or, why did Fives go from cooperative to ballistic only after Palpatine had that one-on-one conversation with him? Or better yet, why is it that even though Barriss' frame-job on Ahsoka was so sloppy, she was still convicted and found guilty even when there was no actual evidence and the chancellor was the one who appointed the investigators?

"I haven't really seen anything that would allow for me to see the man to be all that trustworthy. Not to mention that he's remained in office far after his term ended and all the emergency powers he keeps on receiving without any conflict." Nairbix pointed out as the doors opened for more guards to come in, "Do you honestly not find any of that at least somewhat suspicious?" he asked as the guards escorted Padme out.

In his palace on Serenno, Count Dooku received a message from his master; he quickly turned on his holo-panel and kneeled as the image of Sidious appeared before him. "Master." he humbly addressed.

"Lord Tyranus, there is an issue that needs to be dealt with before it interferes with our plans." Sidious informed.

"What do you speak of, my lord?" Dooku asked.

"I speak of that insufferable ally of the Jedi, Nairbix VanSull." Sidious spat, "He is becoming an even greater nuisance by the minute. He must be eliminated."

"I understand, my lord. I shall have General Grievous dispatch his best droids to take VanSull out." Dooku replied only for his master to wave off his plan.

"No." Sidious said flatly.

"Master?" Dooku asked.

"Mere droids will not be enough to deal with VanSull. Not even an army of droids would be enough, only delay him."

"What do suggest then, my lord?"

"…Contact General Grievous and tell him to procced with the kidnapping of the Supreme Chancellor. He is to bring him to Cadonia with an army of droids and a fleet of Starships, and you are to arrive there as well. I shall join you shortly after the general arrives; we shall lure VanSull to the world and use it as his burial site."

"You shall be there as well, Master?" Dooku asked in shock.

"VanSull, as insufferable as he is, is a formidable opponent capable of feats even beyond my own comprehension. If we are to be rid of him, it will take you, General Grievous, your predecessor, and myself to defeat him."

"It will be done, my lord." Dooku bowed, "Nairbix VanSull will die at our hands."

On Coruscant, the Jedi Council was currently discussing the matter over Nairbix a well. "It is rather odd that Nairbix would go as far snooping through the chancellor's office out of mere suspicion." Obi-Wan mused through his hologram.

"His actions are unexpected," Plo Koon added, "And it is also strange how the chancellor is taking the matter in such a way. If anything, he seems to be in a panic and a rush to keep young VanSull quiet."

"Secrets kept hidden, the chancellor may want." Yoda contemplated.

"If that is the case, Palpatine may be willing to do whatever it takes to keep Nairbix from blurting out anything he learned." Natasha added, "And to make matters worse, seeing as Nairbix is neither a member of the order or a citizen of the Republic, his rights are limited giving Palpatine more leeway to get away with his intentions towards him."

"While that may be true, we all know that Nairbix won't allow himself to be taken prisoner; even if it means going against the entire Republic army and risk being branded a criminal." Obi-Wan reminded.

"Hmm, VanSull's actions, his own they were. For him little there is we can do." Yoda said to them all.

As the day carried on, Palpatine proved that he was indeed desperate to keep Nairbix quiet; instead of giving him a trial, the chancellor moved that his sentence was to be given before the entire Senate by his decree. Nairbix was brought before them all in the Senate building's Congress room in one of the hovercrafts with two guards at his sides and his hands cuffed together.

"Well, this certainly is not how I planned things out for today." Nairbix mumbled bluntly.

"You can say that again, General VanSull." one of the guards replied causing Nairbix's eyes to widen in surprise.

"…Um, no offense but who exactly am I talking too?" he asked.

"It's Spades and Jackal, sir." Spades replied as they slowly floated before the Senate, "We intercepted the actual guards and switched places with them in order to help you escape, sir."

"Well, thanks for the concern and help, boys, but I already had an escape plan that would've gone well even without you." Nairbix replied in honesty, "By the way, do either of you have the others on your comlinks' other ends?"

"Yes, sir." Jackal replied, "We have them waiting at several of the entrances as we speak."

"Good. Contact Dars, Keres, Lou and Wool and have them transmit a live feed of what goes on from the moment this starts, understood? I have a few things I want people to hear." Nairbix informed.

"Understood, sir. Where do you want them to send the feed?" Jackal asked as Spades relayed the orders through the comlink in his helmet.

"Everywhere in this galaxy, Commander. Everywhere in this galaxy." Nairbix replied as they reached their position.

"We're all set, sir." Spades whispered just before Palpatine's chairman began to speak.

"Keyblade Master Nairbix VanSull," he addressed.

"True." Nairbix muttered, "True Keyblade Master."

"You have been brought before the Galactic Senate to bear witness to your sentencing for your crimes against the Republic."

"Funny, I don't remember looking through someone's drawers to be considered a capital offense." Nairbix retorted with a smirk causing several Senators and on looking Jedi to laugh.

"Your offense is far more severe than that," the chairman corrected, "You willingly and knowingly trespassed into the chancellor's office so that you may search through his personal documents in hopes to gain information you might use against him."

"…Well, you got everything right except for the part about using the information against him. Then again, that all depended on what I would find."

"With these charges against you, you are hereby relieved of your position in the Republic army, all rights, authorities, and privileges are hereby revoked, and you will be sentenced to life in prison forthwith." the chairman declared causing the room to fill with gasps. Natasha, who was standing next to Windu and Yoda just shook her head in annoyance over how much trouble Nairbix got himself in.

"(Whistle), wow, all that for little 'ol me just because I did a little snooping. Out of curiosity, just what do you think I planned for the information I was trying to find?" Nairbix asked. It was at this point that Palpatine spoke.

"Master VanSull, it is plainly obvious as to what you intended." informed the chancellor, "Like all traitors we have dealt in the recent past, you planned to use whatever valuable information you could find and use it against the Republic to aid and support the Separatist cause and ultimately bring about an end to not only the Republic but its people as well."

Once he finished his accusation, Nairbix noticed a slight smirk on Palpatine's face; he then countered with one of his before he gave a speech of his own. The very one he wanted the entire galaxy to hear.

"Is that what you think?" he asked in amusement, "Well, I'm sorry but I don't want to be a conqueror, that's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible, Republican, Separatist, neutralists, those in the outer rim. We all want to help one another, living creatures are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another.

"In this galaxy there is room for everyone and the good worlds are rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful. But you have lost the way. Greed has poisoned your souls, has barricaded the worlds with hate; has goose-stepped everyone into misery and bloodshed. You have developed speed but you have shut yourselves in: machinery that gives abundance has left you in want. Your knowledge has made you cynical, your cleverness hard and unkind. You think too much and feel too little: more than machinery you need morality; more than cleverness you need kindness and gentleness.

"Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost. Your transports and holograms have brought you closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in people, cries out for universal brotherhood for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the worlds, millions of despairing men, women and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me I say 'Do not despair'. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of progress: the hate of men will pass and dictators die and the power they took from the people, will return to the people and so long as men die liberty will never perish." he said as everyone looked and listened to him in awe.

Everyone across the galaxy not fighting heard these words and felt completely and utterly speechless, enemies and allies of the Republic alike. His troopers lowered their heads out of sadness over the possibly final words they would hear from their General; the Jedi, emotionally unmoved as always, except for Natasha who smirked in agreement with the words spoken by her oldest friend.

"Soldiers: don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you, enslave you, who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think or what to feel, who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men, machine men, with machine minds and machine hearts. You are not machines. You are not cattle. You are men. You have the love of life in your hearts. You don't hate, only the unloved hate. The unloved and the unnatural. Soldiers: don't fight for slavery, fight for liberty. The right of freedom belongs to everyone from the moment of birth to the end with death. Freedom lies within all. Not one man, nor a group of men, but in all men; in you! You the people have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness! You the people have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure!

"Then in the name of democracy let us use that power. Let us all unite! Let us fight for a new universe, a decent universe that will give men a chance to work, that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power, but they lie! They do not fulfill that promise, they never will. Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people. Now let us fight to fulfill that promise. Let us fight to free the worlds, to do away with national barriers, to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for worlds of reason, worlds where unity and progress will lead to everyone's happiness. Everyone! In the name of freedom: let us all unite!"

Truth be told, when Palpatine anticipated applause at the end of the sentencing, he expected it to be for him not Nairbix. And yet before him, the entire Senate building and possibly the entire galaxy were cheering louder than he had ever heard as they gave Nairbix a standing ovation. In his moment of certain triumph, Nairbix bested him in just a few short minutes with a speech filled with unrealistic ideals, ideals that sounded like the hopes usually found in ignorant little children. Yet here stands one man who appears to believe in the words he had just said and knew fully well the difficulty and uncertainty of the chances of those ideals coming to fruition.

"Take him away!" the chairman shouted over the applause, "Guards, take him away!"

"Ah, you still seem to be under the impression that I'm going to come along quietly to some prison cell." Nairbix shouted back as the noise died down. "Now then," he said turning to the crowd of politicians around him, "Most of you have undoubtedly heard of my magical abilities and from what I hear, many of you don't believe that I have magic. So allow me to demonstrate a little bit for all of you."

Nairbix then opened a corridor in midair in front of the chancellor's throne and jumped off his hovercraft and dived into the portal taking him to a location no one knew. Where was this location? To be honest, Nairbix didn't really plan on just running and hiding. So instead, he just hung out out of sight in the temple. But given how long and well Natasha knew Nairbix, she anticipated this and met up with him.

"So," he trailed playfully as he propped himself on the rim of a windowsill, "What did you think of my little speech?"

"You mean the one you had your squad broadcast to the entire galaxy from here past the outer rim?" Natasha asked as she folded her arms, "To be frank, I found some parts of it a little too idealistic and naïve."

"So did I," Nairbix admitted, "But I was speaking before an entire room filled with naïve idealists as well as an entire galaxy of people on both sides lacking hope and reassurance. Hearing words from someone like me was just the kick start to their sense of hope."

"Well, aren't you a Narnian of the people." she joked, "Seriously though, what were you looking for in the chancellor's office, Nairbix?"

"Anything, really." he shrugged, "I don't trust Palpatine, Natasha. Not in the slightest. Never have. But with what's happened recently concerning things with him involved, things seem…suspicious."

"I agree, but you should've told me what you were planning."

"Eh, it was more of a last minute, spur of the moment kind of plan. And things would've gone better if that damn invisibility spell wasn't so damn sensitive. Bloody hell, I hate that spell!"

"Then why the hell do you keep using it?" Natasha asked.

"Because it's the only invisibility spell I have that doesn't just wear off after a few moments." he replied.

"So what your next move?"

"That depends, what exactly was the threat made on Palpatine?"

"One of the Separatists sent a threat that the chancellor would be kidnapped and held hostage thinking that the Republic would surrender. So far no of them have made a move yet."

"I heard that you and Plo Koon are going to be the ones looking into this."

"What?" Natasha asked, "I have heard anything about that, the council never said anything about that either. Hell, we just had a meeting earlier today and nobody said anything about a Jedi leading an investigation."

"Sounds to me like the chancellor is making the council's decision for them." Nairbix mussed, "Makes the bastard even more suspicious, don't you think?" he asked. Just then, a loud explosion could be heard from outside.

From the window using his magic, Nairbix could see from the smoking Senate building General Grievous carrying the unconscious chancellor over his shoulder as he made his way to his ship while his droids held off the guards. As soon as a group of Jedi arrived, Grievous had already taken off in his ship.

"Well, whoever wanted the chancellor kidnapped got what they wanted." Nairbix bluntly said. Not long after the incident, Natasha was called in for an emergency council meeting over the previous event. Nairbix however, decided to do a little digging of his own. Not that he wanted to rescue Palpatine out of the goodness of his heart, he simply saw an opportunity too important to ignore.

If Grievous himself was sent to kidnap the chancellor, then it was a good chance that he would be meeting up with Dooku. This would give Nairbix the perfect chance to take both of them out and bring an end to the war, and then he and Natasha could finally go home.

The only problem with that plan was that he had no idea where Grievous had taken him. That being said, he did have one person in mind that could get him a location. As he searched for his target in the lower levels of Coruscant, he found her; he found Assajj Ventress.

"You know, I really figured that you would've left this world by now after the last time we encountered one another." Nairbix mocked from above the former Sith's head.

"Nairbix VanSull," she hissed in spite, "What's the issue now? Another one of your Jedi friends wrongfully accused?"

"No." he replied as he jumped down to meet her face to face. "You don't pay attention to the news all that much, do you?"

"The only news I listen to nowadays is bounty reports." Ventress replied as she began to walk away.

"Well, then that makes things easier for me." Nairbix said.

"What do you want, VanSull?" Ventress asked.

"Chancellor Palpatine was kidnapped by Grievous a few hours ago." he informed bluntly, "Given that you're now a bounty hunter, I figured you'd be able to find out where he was taken so I can find him and kill Dooku and Grievous."

"Do you honestly think I'd be eagerly willing to help you after last time?" Ventress asked, "I think I'll pass." she said as she continued to walk away, but Nairbix's humorless chuckling stopped her.

"Heheh, oh, that's funny," he muttered loud enough for Ventress to hear him, "You think you have a choice."

"What?" Ventress growled as she turned towards him.

"See," Nairbix said as he approached his old enemy, "I wasn't asking, Ventress. You're going to help me whether you like it or not." he said before he did something unexpected. Nairbix shoved his hand through Ventress's chest and literally ripped out her heart. Ventress gasped in pain from the action but quickly realized that she wasn't dead.

"…Wh-what d-did you do to me?!" she asked as her voice shook with fear.

"Hmm? Oh, I just gave myself a little insurance along with some leverage over you." he replied as he examined the heart in his hand. It looked like it was encased in glass and glowed black with little to no red in the center. "To be honest, I don't really prefer doing this, but I'm in a hurry to get back home."

"So what now?" Ventress asked bitterly, "What can you possibly do now that you have my heart within your clutches?"

"Well," Nairbix trailed with a mischievous yet sinister grin, "I can do this." he said as he gave the heart a tight squeeze making Ventress fall to her knees as she clutched her chest in pain. After Nairbix stopped, she looked up at him in horror. "I bet you're wondering what's changed me seeing as you haven't seen this side of me before, right? Truth is, I've always been like this, I just don't show it around others that often. Now then, unless you want me to crush your heart into dust, you'll do what I say."

"I don't care if you do kill me." spat the bounty hunter, "I'd gladly choose death over being your puppet."

"Hmm," Nairbix hummed as he looked down at her in disappointment, "It's like I told you, you don't have a choice." Nairbix growled in anger as he brought the heart up to his face, he then spoke to it like her would to a person. "You will find out where the chancellor has been taken for me and you will do so quickly. Now."

As soon as he gave the order, Ventress, who seemed to be in a daze, stood up and walked away as she went to fulfil the task given to her. "Oh, and as soon as you get the location, meet up with me at Dex's Diner on the surface." He then placed the heart in his coat pocket and made his way up to the world's surface level.

Three hours later, Ventress met up with Nairbix at the diner and informed him of the location. "Alright, I know where they are." she said quietly in the booth they sat in, "Grievous' ship was seen leading a fleet of Starships and an army of battle droids to Cadonia. It's an uninhabited world a few parsecs from the outer rim."

"Cadonia, huh?" Nairbix asked as he fiddled with his glass filled with alcohol. "Any particular reason why the chancellor was taken there?"

"No idea," Ventress said casually before giving him her usual glare, "I was only forced to find out where they were. So now that I've done your little errand for you, can I have my heart back?"

Nairbix acted like he was thinking for a moment before he gave his answer. "Hmm…no." he replied.

"No?!" Ventress asked hotly.

"No." Nairbix repeated calmly, "Despite you being useful for these last two favors you've done for me and my friends, I'm not about to let you walk away that easily after everything you've done. No, you don't get off that easily, Ventress." he informed still speaking in a calm tone as he pulled out the heart. "I'm afraid this is the end for you."

"Wait, you can't-"

"Goodbye." he said as he crushed her heart into dust in an instant. At first, Ventress's face changed into a look of pain and shock as she tried to reach her heart but as soon as Nairbix crushed it, her body went limp and her head smacked the table.

Nairbix looked unfazed at the sight before him not caring in the slightest over the life he just ended. He then began to softly hum as he scooted the glass towards Ventress's hand making it seem as though she were drunk and left a few credits on the table before leaving the diner. As he walked through the streets, he summoned a corridor in front of him which led him to the little world of Cadonia.

When the darkness cleared its self from his eyes, Nairbix saw what awaited him; thousands upon thousands of various droids and a large fleet of Starships surrounding the world. Driven with excitement at the chance to let loose his power, Nairbix rushed down with his Keyblade ready and began his attack.

Running faster than the eye could normally follow, Nairbix viciously slashed and hacked at the droids. As the other battalions noticed his arrival, they began to rapidly open fire at him only for their attacks to either be deflected, dodged, or sent at their own kind all the while Nairbix continued to destroy the others.

As he wiped out the droids surrounding him one at a time, he activated on of his Shot Lock techniques he dubbed Backlash. While he fought, he made a path about two miles out that would send him flying through the droids giving him the chance to take them out in the process. Once the path was ready, Nairbix took off in a blur and dismantled the clankers as he sped through them to the end point he set.

After he finished that attack, Nairbix activated another Shot Lock that would send an explosive volley of electric orbs of magic. As each of them made contact, enormous domes of electricity erupted and wiped out the droids caught in the blast radius. Even though he knew that he had taken out a good number of droids, he knew that he was nowhere near done in taking care of the ones on the world.

With that in mind, he placed his free hand on his Keyblade, tugged on its grip, and produced a second Keyblade. With the extra weapon, Nairbix's onslaught was even more vicious than before. None of the clankers stood a chance against him and none of them even so much as laid a scratch on him, not even the giant spider droids. Even as they began to surround him and close in, Nairbix got the upper hand by creating a barrier sphere around him which redirected all the blaster bolts back at the very droids who sent them.

The droids basically took care of themselves as they continued to fire and shoot themselves, Nairbix only managed to take the remaining out after he dispelled the barrier which took out the droids surrounding him with its fragments.

At that point, a group of vulture droids took to the skies and fired at him from what they believed to be a safe distance in the air. But Nairbix was far too clever and experienced for them. So, he replaced his Keyblades with two incredibly long links of his chains and began to whip them at the soaring droids; as an added bonus, he had his chains engulfed in black lightning.

He never took his eyes off of them as he twisted and turned while striking them with his chains sending each of them to the ground after each strike. As the last one tried to evade his attacks, more battle droids came over the barren hills as they opened fire on the lone Narnian. But Nairbix once again proved his skills were superior.

He used one of his chains to wrap around the vulture droid as he summoned more links and began to spin wildly on the ground creating a swirling torrent of electrocuted chains before causing them to swat and destroy the incoming droids.

However, behind the droids that had just gotten wiped out, at least a dozen heavy cannons like what the Republic used and row upon row of tanks similar to what he destroyed on Geonosis unleashed their own attacks upon him.

At that point, Nairbix would have admitted that he was becoming a bit overwhelmed, but he would have also admitted that he was having the time of his life. Letting loose so much power he had built up and not having to worry about hurting any of his friends in the process? What more could he ask?

Seeing the tanks and cannons, Nairbix re-summoned his Keyblade and built up a powerful attack. Once it was ready, he unleashed a single long ranged slash that made quick work of the heavy fire he was receiving. But the droids just kept coming.

Even though he was having a blast (no pun intended), Nairbix was getting tired of the annoying clankers that were trying to kill him. As they began to close in on him, Nairbix steadied himself and gathered his strength for his next attack which would take out the last of the droids left on the surface.

Once his attack was ready, Nairbix let out an outcry as he unleashed a tremendous explosive wave of magic, destruction and darkness. After the dust settled, he scanned for any incoming droids; once he saw none coming, he enveloped himself in darkness as shot himself into space.

Thanks to his many abilities and after years of training, Nairbix no longer needed oxygen to survive; it was more optional for him really so fighting out in space wasn't an issue for him. As he exited the atmosphere, he came to see his next challenge: a massive fleet of Separatist Starships armed to the teeth with all weapons pointed at him.

Before they could kill him with their cannon fire, Nairbix flew faster than any ship could and maneuvered to the closest Starship he could find. Once he reached it, he ran atop its hull and tore open a gaping tare with his Keyblade and left rows of four large explosive magic circles with each step he took, exploding with each passing minute.

After that ship was destroyed, he leaped/flew over to the next spinning forwards as he did so. Because of this, once he made contact with the ship, he tore through it and ran inside it as he wiped out everything inside it, including the power generator and engines. As it exploded from within, he made a makeshift exit before moving on to the next ship. For some of them, he used similar methods to what he used for the first two, and others he simply send blasts of dark energy from his Keyblade which took them out instantly.

As he noticed there were only a handful of ships left, Nairbix decided that he wanted end this with a dramatic flair. He then descended back to the planet's surface and readied his final move against the remnants of the fleet. He dismissed his Keyblade and summoned a small, swirling, magical pool of silver floating next to him, from the pool came a Keyblade identical to Heartbreaker half-way revealing itself. In that moment, several more pools with Keyblades of their own appeared around Nairbix as he looked to the sky and before anyone could blink, thousands of pools appeared and aimed themselves at the exact spot where Nairbix was looking.

He then raised his left hand and lazily swung it down sending all the Keyblades into space where they rendered the remaining ships to shreds as they exploded, killing and destroying everything inside. As the sky filled with explosions and the debris came crashing down onto the world, Nairbix turned his back to the scene and casually walked away in search for the missing chancellor.

It didn't take long for Nairbix to find where the chancellor was being held. On a flattened cliff at the end of another barren hill, Nairbix spotted a ship where Dooku kneeled before it, meditating as he waited for Nairbix.

"It seems that the Separatists have more to spare than most would think." Nairbix called out to the former Jedi as he approached him, "At least I had that impression after I took care of all the toys you left for me to play with that is."

"We have more resources at our disposal than you know, Master VanSull." Dooku replied as he rose to his feet.

"Uh-huh," Nairbix replied looking unimpressed, "You know, I'm not stupid, Dooku. I've been known to be eccentric. But I'm not stupid. I knew that this was a trap since the beginning."

"Did you?" Dooku asked, "Hmm, it matters not whether you knew of the trap or not, you are here just as my master planned."

"Yes," Grievous added as he emerged from the ship as he coughed, "Lord Sidious's plan has gone accordingly. All that is left is to kill you, VanSull. (Cough, cough)."

"Sorry to disappoint you, gentlemen, but the only ones dying here today shall be you two. And whoever is breathing louder than the sound of a race horse's piss when it makes contact with snow behind those rocks over there." Nairbix added bluntly as his next enemy revealed themselves. It was surprisingly Darth Maul.

"You again?" Nairbix asked in actual surprise, "There's just no getting rid of you, is there?"

"It is a shame that when last we met, you missed your chance to witness the death of your friend's precious duchess." Maul taunted.

"If you're trying to rile me up over Satine's death, you're wasting your breath. I never even liked her so I don't really care that you killed her." Nairbix informed bluntly as his the opponents took their own place and began to circle him. "Out of curiosity though, why is it that you're working with these two? I was under the impression that there could only be two Sith. Or do you no longer count considering Dooku replaced you?"

"Let's just say that killing you will give me my revenge against Romanoff for taking my legs." Maul replied.

"You got to learn to let things go, mate." Nairbix suggested, "Hmm, where's Savage? You two were working together as crime lords last I checked." he wondered causing Maul to grit his teeth in anger and give a snarl. "Ah, I see. But something tells me that it wasn't either of these two who killed him. Your former master perhaps?" Nairbix asked already knowing the answer based on Maul's expression.

It was at that point Dooku activated his lightsaber, Grievous separated his arms and activated all four of his and Maul activated both his red lightsaber and his black one. "Hmm, seven lightsabers and three opponents," Nairbix mused as he summoned his Keyblade and gave himself a second one, "I like those odds." he said ready to fight.

Maul made the first move as he charged at Nairbix who easily parried his attacks and knocked him to the ground. From behind, Grievous attempted to stab him with all four of his weapons but Nairbix jumped into the air and got behind him only fend of Dooku's lunges.

As he deflected and dodged the Sith's attacks, he gained the upper hand and managed to slice Dooku's right bicep; not enough to give him a fatal wound, but he still managed to land a decent blow on him. Maul then jumped over and wildly swung his blades at Nairbix hoping to overpower him, but to no avail.

Nairbix wasn't even struggling to hold them all off despite the greater number in both fighters and weapons. As Maul came at him from the front, Dooku tried to get him from behind with his lightning; but Nairbix's reflexes proved to be useful as ever and gave him the chance to summon a barrier. Thanks to it, the lightning was sent back at Dooku and the power behind Maul's strikes were redirected back at him. In that brief moment, Nairbix shattered the barrier and knocked all three of them back.

As Dooku tried to quickly regain his composure, Nairbix came charging in at him. He then swung his lightsaber and actually managed to land a blow on him. Or so he thought. As soon as his weapon made contact with Nairbix, he froze in mid-place and somehow managed to come at Dooku from behind. When he noticed this, Dooku once again struck Nairbix but to only face the same out come again, and again, and again until he was surrounded by dozen of copies of Nairbix. As for the real Nairbix, he stared Dooku down as he stood in the air above him. He then snapped his fingers and all of his copies moved from their frozen stasis and struck Dooku all at once. At that point, Maul and Grievous spotted him and Maul tossed his lightsabers at him only to see Nairbix dodge them with a bored frown.

He then raised his hands and wiggled his fingers as though he was groping the air. As he did this, the ground beneath them morphed into two large hands grabbing them as they rose into the air. As Nairbix had them being crushed in the hands' grips, Maul managed to activate one of his lightsabers and cut himself free while Grievous did the same.

Nairbix then willed the hands to come crashing down on them but Dooku and Maul used the Force to try and stop them while Grievous ran up one of them and jumped at Nairbix swinging all of his weapons as fast as he could. Nairbix quickly re-summoned his Keyblade and held off Grievous's attacks before grabbing his head and throwing him to the ground. Unfortunately, due to his robotic body, Grievous landed gracefully on all six of his limps.

As Nairbix descended to the ground and summoned a second Keyblade, Grievous began to rapidly rotate his upper claws so fast, his lightsabers were spinning in a blur as he ran towards him. Upon seeing the incoming attack, Nairbix sent Grievous flying with a Flux Wave just before Maul came charging at him and deflected his attacks.

"You have proven to be a formidable opponent, young VanSull," Dooku acknowledged, "But you must realize that this battle will not end in your victory."

"Speak for yourselves," Nairbix retorted, "None of you have even laid a scratch on me yet. Here's a thought," Nairbix said as he twirled one of his Keyblades in his hand, "Why don't all three of you just let me kill you already?" he asked bluntly.

"Your arrogance will be your downfall." Maul warned.

"It's not arrogance, legless." Nairbix replied, "It's assurance." he said as he charged at them.

"That key of yours has been a nuisance for us since the beginning of this war. It is a pity that I cannot add it to my collection." Grievous taunted as he and Nairbix exchanged blows.

"If it annoys you so much let me kill you quickly." Nairbix offered, "Though, I won't make it painless. And you'll find that their a little bit picky on their owners. Flux Wave!" he cried as he sent a volley of chains to wrap around the general's back after sending him flying. Once the chains were behind Grievous, Nairbix pulled them back and gave another flux wave from the kick he sent to his opponent's chest.

After tossing him aside, Nairbix returned to fighting with Dooku. His own attacks were faster than Dooku's causing the old man to go on the defensive. Nairbix then swung the lower half of his coat in Dooku's face as he spun, blinding the Sith for a moment giving him the chance to electrocute him with his black lightning.

Maul attempted to strike him down with an attack from above, but Nairbix blocked his attack and pushed him off; after doing so, he sent a volley of dark orbs at Maul, each one causing him tremendous pain and knocking him to the ground.

As Nairbix looked at them sprawled on the ground as he stood in front of the ship, he readied himself to finally bring an end to the ones controlling the war. His eyes blazed in anger at them as he dismissed his left Keyblade and moved in the finish them. But as soon as he took his first step, Nairbix felt a sharp, blinding pain in his lower abdomen.

As he gasped in both pain and shock, he looked down and saw a crimson lightsaber protruding above his waist. From behind, he could hear the sound of sinister chuckling from behind him. The pain coursing through him was so great, he couldn't even bring himself to turn around to see who had done it; but he knew fully well who it was. Sidious was there after all and he had just rendered Nairbix helpless for what would happen next.

Sidious had in fact modified not only his lightsaber, but the others as well to where they would stay activated even when no longer being wielded. This was proven as Nairbix staggered a few paces forward with the lightsaber still in his abdomen even after Sidious released it.

After coughing up blood and trying to regain his footing, Dooku got up from the ground, rushed behind him and pierced Nairbix with his own lightsaber just barely below his neck. After that, Maul followed suit and impaled the center area of Nairbix's back with his lightsabers bringing him to his knees. In front of him, Grievous raised all four of his lightsabers and brought them down on the rest of Nairbix's upper back.

Nairbix had been impaled by eight lightsabers in a mere moment. Due to Grievous's last strike, he had been pinned down with all eight weapons imbedded into the ground. Pain and shock coursed through Nairbix's body as the burning sensation of the lightsaber continued to fill his senses. His strength was leaving him and he could feel his life slip away.

For the first time in his life, Nairbix VanSull, the living manifestation and embodiment of Narnia's firstborn darkness, apprentice to Keyblade Master Yen Sid, creator of Nueva Destra and third True Keyblade Master had lost; and the cost was his life.

He couldn't exactly hear what his four enemies were saying, but Nairbix just kept thinking how he would not tolerate an end like this. As his anger boiled and the thought of killing them grew, Nairbix gather what little strength he had and did the unthinkable; he called forth his Guardian and muttered possibly his last order.

"Kill them." he struggled to say. The Guardian then charged at them and attempted to kill them all at once with its sonic wail. Unfortunately, it only knocked all but Maul into the ship, he was simply knocked at the base of the ramp. But before Maul could get up, the Guardian towered over him as it raised its razor sharp claws and swung down, severing Maul's head.

Apparently, however, the ship was already warmed up and ready to take off, so as soon as the three main conspirators got inside, they took off right after Maul was killed. Given that the Guardian's strength came from Nairbix, it wasn't able to linger any longer after the ship took off. As it slowly began to fade away, it returned to its dying master.

"Well, I guess seeing as I killed Maul at the last second and the others ran away, this doesn't really count as a loss." Nairbix weakly chuckled in his mind as his life continued to ebb away. "Damn it. Aslan, Mickey, Jumba, Mother, Master, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Sigurd, Goldmin, Delton, Trisha, Aggie, Indy…Natasha. Please forgive me." he begged as he thought of all the people dear to him as darkness took him.

It was at that moment where all the people Nairbix had thought of could somehow feel his last moments; they could all feel a pain in their hearts as their dear friend faded away.

In the outer rim, both Anakin and Obi-Wan sensed Nairbix's life force fade away from their starship. "Master?" Anakin asked worriedly.

"I sense it too. Something's happened to Nairbix. Something terrible." he muttered in concern for their friend. "The dark side has overwhelmed him."

"Dooku." Anakin hissed.

"Perhaps, but this much hatred, this much power over the dark side? I doubt that it was Dooku alone." reasoned Obi-Wan, "Regardless of that, I can barely sense him, and it's becoming harder to do so by the moment."

"We can't just ignore this, Master." said Anakin, "If Nairbix is in trouble we have to help him."

"I agree," Obi-Wan nodded as he steadied himself and closed his eyes with Anakin following his example. "Reach out, sense whatever trace of him you can find and hone in on his location." he advised as they sensed for their friend.

In the meditation room at the temple, Natasha tried to calm herself so she could sense Nairbix herself. At the exact moment when he was impaled, she could feel a deep pain and sense of worry in her heart she knew concerned her oldest and closest friend. Before they came to this galaxy, they had made a promise to each other, and while she was known to have been a notorious liar, she fully planned on keeping her word for Nairbix, no matter what.

As all three of the Jedi reached out for Nairbix, they soon discovered that his last surge in energy was on the small world of Cadonia. After discovering this, Natasha rallied Spades and a few members of Noise Maker squad to help her if need be before taking off in her ship; as for Anakin and Obi-Wan, they went off to find Nairbix as well with Rex, Cody and a handful of other Clones to assist them.

As they landed on the world's surface, Anakin spotted Natasha's ship as it began to land. "Master, look, Natasha's here." he alerted as Natasha emerged from her ship and approached them.

"You guys sensed it too, huh?" she asked, they nodded, "Normally, I can still sense Nairbix's darkness, but now…I can barely sense what he left here."

"Seeing what he left behind is a bit more impressive though, General." Rex replied as he looked over the rocks to see all of the wreckage left from the droids and starships. "Sometimes I still find it hard to believe that General VanSull has all that power inside of him."

"Looks like he left a trail leading up that hill over there." Anakin pointed out as they looked at the cliff where the final battle was.

"Get the speeders ready," Natasha said to Jackal, "Wall-E, Rex, Spades, Cody, you four are coming with us, we may need you."

"Yes, sir." the Clones replied. Once they maneuvered their way through the all the shrapnel to the hill, they made their way up and found a sight that sent pain through all of their hearts; they found Nairbix's body, still impaled with all eight active lightsabers.

At that moment, Natasha felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. She had no expression on her face, even as she fell to her knees she couldn't even bring herself to cry over Nairbix's death. She just couldn't believe it.

Anakin and Obi-Wan looked away in pain, they couldn't bring themselves to look at the sight of their friend for too long. As for the Clones, Spades was the first one to remove his helmet and salute his fallen general; Rex and Cody followed promptly. Wall-E looked at her master's friend in sadness and gave a heartbroken moan.

"You idiot," Natasha muttered, "You idiot, you why did you go and do this by yourself?" she asked as the tears finally flowed down her face; even though everyone around her knew it was forbidden for Jedi to have the sort of emotions she was showing, none of them cared, they all felt that way. They were all mourning over the loss of their greatest ally and friend.

"It was the greatest honor I could have to serve alongside you, General." Spades said in his mind as he continued to salute Nairbix; the whole time, he struggled to control himself from shedding even one tear.

Obi-Wan finally brought himself to open his eyes, when he did, he noticed the beheaded body of Maul a few feet away from Nairbix. He also noticed similar claw marks on Maul's chest from what he had seen during the second battle of Geonosis. Putting two and two together, Obi-Wan realized what had happened to the former Sith lord; he had been killed after Nairbix was impaled.

"I know that I'm looking at him…but I can't believe he's gone." Anakin whispered as he tried and failed to control the sadness he felt over his friend's death. However, he quickly noticed something about Nairbix. "Guys, take a look at the lightsabers."

Obi-Wan did so and gave his observation, "The one through his chest is Dooku's. The four in his back are the lightsabers Grievous uses, and the red and black ones above his waist were Maul's; he took the black one after he killed Vizsla and took control over Mandalore."

"Then who owned this one?" Natasha asked as she stood up, wiped her tears and stared at Sidious's weapon.

"Natasha, do you remember what Dooku told us just before the first battle on Geonosis?" Obi-Wan asked already knowing she did, "He said there was another Sith who was behind the war. What if this lightsaber belongs to that Sith lord?"

"What are you saying?" Anakin asked, "You think Nairbix fought Dooku, Maul, Grievous and this Darth Sidious?"

"The first three, I'll believe." Natasha replied skeptically, "But all four of them? Nairbix wouldn't have ended up like this. I think he fought Dooku, Grievous and Maul and just as he was about to finish them, Sidious sneaks up behind him, literally stabs him in the back and has the others do the same. And believe me, it was never easy for anyone to sneak up on Nairbix."

"My guess is that he summoned his Guardian after being impaled with what little strength he had left and tried to have it kill them. Though, it looks like he only managed to kill Maul." Obi-Wan explained.

"Went down fighting, just like warrior." Spades acknowledged in respect.

"The others will never forgive me for this." Natasha said to no one but herself, "I led him to his death bringing him here."

"Nairbix chose to come here, Natasha." Obi-Wan soothed.

"He chose to come to this world." she corrected in monotone, "I chose to bring us here in the first place when we were children. In the end, I'm just as responsible."

"No you're not," Anakin argued, "You weren't the one who did this to him."

"I made a promise that we would come back here. I made a promise on his behalf that he felt obligated to uphold."

"You know that isn't the truth." Obi-Wan denied, "You know that even if you hadn't made that promise, the moment Nairbix would have sensed trouble in this galaxy, he would have rushed here straight away to do everything he could to help. That was the kind of man he was."

"Guys," Anakin spoke up as they talked, "Guys, shh!" he shushed shutting them all up, "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Listen." Anakin replied. For a few moments, no one said a word, they kept it as silent as possible in order to hear what Anakin heard; just then, they heard it. It was faint, but they could hear it, it was the sound of very soft short breaths coming from the ground.

In order to check if their hopes were right, Natasha pulled out one of her combat knives, fell to the ground, and held the blade against Nairbix's mouth. As soon as she did, she could see it; she could see Nairbix's breath fog up the blade.

"…He's alive." Natasha gasped as she turned to the others, "Nairbix is alive." she said again only louder.

"My God." Spades gasped.

"Wall-E, go back to the ship and get a medical capsule, hurry!" Natasha ordered knowing the droid was faster than any of them on a speeder. "Alright, we got to get these things out of him."

"On three." Obi-Wan nodded, "One,"

"Two," Anakin said as they all raised their hands.

"Three." Natasha said as they used the Force to slowly, simultaneously remove all eight of the lightsabers; as they all came out, Nairbix, still unconscious, gasped and wheezed in pain. Thankfully, Wall-E arrived just as that happened with the medical capsule. Once it was prepped and ready for him, the three Jedi gently lifted him with the Force into the capsule. As he was lifted and rotated to lay on his back, they all could see the holes heal themselves as strands of darkness closed the wounds and left eight round scars on both sides of his body.

The whole time they flew back in Natasha's ship, she never left his side or took her eyes off of him. Thankfully, his breathing steadied and wasn't as short; but aside from that, he hadn't moved an inch. They immediately headed to the Jedi Temple's hospital wing after they landed in order to get Nairbix better life support. Unfortunately, word of Nairbix's return spread like wildfire and to make matters worse, the chairman of the Senate acting in Palpatine's place issued for Nairbix to be arrested; and it was Admiral Tarkin who personally came to the hospital to bring him in.

As he approached the door to Nairbix's room, he saw all of Noise Maker squad guarding the door with Spades and Jackal right in front of it. "Colonel, Commander, I have been informed that Nairbix VanSull is in this room, now stand aside." Tarkin ordered.

"We can't do that, Admiral." Spades replied stiffly.

"I am ordering you, soldier, to stand aside." Tarkin repeated only more threatening.

"And I am telling you, sir," Spades spat as he and the other Clones loyal to Nairbix raised their riffles at Tarkin, "That you are not getting to the general."

"It's treason, then." Tarkin concluded with his nose raised high.

"Consider this our resignation, Admiral." Keres declared.

"Need I remind all of you that as Clones, you are to only serve the Republic?" Tarkin smugly asked.

"Actually, they work for me now." Natasha corrected from behind Tarkin.

"You, General Romanoff, a Jedi?" Tarkin asked smirking at the thought.

"See, I didn't hire them as an acting Jedi. I hired them as an acting princess." she replied with a sweet yet frightening smile.

"Princess?" he asked.

"Yes, princess. As princess of the world of Radiant Garden, I hired these men to act as royal bodyguards. And the first order I gave them was to protect and guard Nairbix VanSull, a trusted and long-time ally to the royal family."

"Master Romanoff," Tarkin said shaking his head with an unimpressed smirk, "While I admire your sentiment for VanSull, the fact of the matter is that-"

"He is under the Jedi Order's custody." Natasha cutoff.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, you didn't hear?" Natasha asked faking her disappointment, "Yeah, as soon as we got back, Master Kenobi and I recommended to the council that he be placed under our custody seeing as he has been working with us throughout the war and not exactly the military. So the fact of the matter is, Admiral, that this is Jedi business."

"We shall see what the Senate has to say about that." Tarkin retorted calmly still thinking the odd were in his favor.

"No, we won't." Natasha denied, "Because no matter how many people come through this hall, if anyone tries to come after Nairbix as long as he's like this, MY and I will kill them on the spot. And if you come back here, they'll shoot you like a dog and I'll use this," she said sweetly as she activated her lightsaber and held the humming blade close to his face, "To cut off your balls and stuff them down your throat."

After hearing that, Tarkin took the warning and left without another word. After that, Natasha entered Nairbix's room and saw him lying in bed with an oxygen mask on his face and several IV tubes in his arm with Anakin, Obi-Wan and Padme standing near the bed.

"How is he?" Natasha asked.

"Same as when you left." Anakin replied sadly, "He hasn't even twitched."

"He's in a coma, Anakin. It's not like he's gonna get up and sleep-walk." she flatly replied.

"Do they have any idea how long it'll be before he wakes up?" Padme asked.

"Months, maybe?" Obi-Wan replied unsure of his answer, "He was stabbed in almost every vital spot of his torso by lightsabers, if anything he should be dead."

"He is made out of darkness, so…I guess it's just a matter of how much dark energy he can control to keep himself alive?" Natasha suggested unsure of her answer.

"What now?" Anakin asked, "The chancellor is still Dooku's hostage."

"We just have to wait until we hear anything about his location." Natasha replied as Nairbix began to cough. But what started out as a few light coughs soon became a coughing fit that seemed to hurt him; his heart monitor went frantic as he jerked in pain. Obi-Wan was just about to call for a medic but stopped when they all saw what happened next.

From the scars left behind the lightsabers, streams of smoke-like darkness emitted from Nairbix as the coughing died into wheezing. It lasted for a little over a minute before it finally ended and Nairbix's breathing returned to normal. Silence filled the room as the four of them looked at each other in shock.

"…What the hell was that?" Anakin whispered.

"…I don't know." Natasha replied.

Little did any of them know, that would not be the last time Nairbix would experience a coughing fit like that. What they didn't know was that Nairbix had contracted a disease, a disease that caused his darkness to seep out of him and drain his life force; and it would cause him pain and suffering as he kept it a secret from the ones he held dear for years to come. And he would only be rid of it roughly twenty years later after believing to have lost everything he held dear.

 **So, there's one of the questions I left from The Vengeful Key, that was how Nairbix contracted his disease. See, he's made out of darkness biologically, I guess, so the disease itself is his darkness/life force escaping from the wounds he received from Sidious, Dooku, Grievous, and Maul that never fully healed.**

 **As for Maul and Ventress's deaths, I just want to let everyone know this: I am not going to be using Star Wars Rebels in any of my future stories. Hell, I'm not even completely sure if I want to use the original three for the next story or the one after it. I know Ventress hasn't made an appearance in Rebels, but I just felt like her and Maul's stories just needed to end. And for those of you who didn't catch my little Easter Egg on how she died, it was like how they do it on Once Upon a Time.**

 **The next chapter will sadly be the last one in the Star Wars universe, and the last one for a few weeks. Hope you all liked this. Bye!**


	31. Revenge of The Sith

**To all my dear readers, this chapter marks the end of our time in the Star Wars Universe. It's been a long run, but I'm glad to be finished with this saga in Nairbix's life. Even though the movies I used had terrible actors (namely the guy who sucked at playing Anakin in episodes 2 and 3) the story behind them was pretty good. So without further delay, I present the last Star Wars chapter of The Forging of the Key. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, anything Disney, Marvel or Lucasfilms.**

In the vast void of space everything seemed to be in absolute chaos. An epic battle between the Republic and Separatist forces waged against each other as one side fought to rescue Chancellor Palpatine and the other to further keep him hostage. Through the gunfire and explosions, three Jedi maneuvered their way in each of their own ships. Natasha's being the largest was in the center with Anakin and Obi-Wan at her sides.

"Lock onto the one in front of us, Wall-E." Natasha calmly said to her droid.

"Masters," Anakin alerted, "General Grievous's ship is directly ahead-the one crawling with vulture droids."

"Oh, I see it." Obi-Wan responded, "Oh, this is going to be easy."

"Would we be here if it weren't?" Natasha playfully asked, "Oddball, do you copy?"

"Copy, Red Leader." the Clone replied.

"Mark my position. Form your squad up behind me."

"We're on your tail, General Romanoff."

"This is where the fun begins." commented Anakin.

"Let them pass between us." Obi-Wan advised as they engaged in the battle.

"Incoming missiles." Natasha warned, "Pull up."

"They over shot us."

"They're coming around." Anakin corrected as the missiles tailed them.

"Surge all power units, Wall-E. Stand by reverse thrusters." Natasha ordered as she began to spin her ship. As she did, the two missiles on her tail crashed into each other and exploded. "We got 'em, Wall-E." she smirked as the little droid gave his own version of chuckling.

"Flying is for droids." Obi-Wan grumbled as he struggled to evade his missiles. His, however, weren't explosives. No, his were filled with buzz droids no crawling over his ship attempting to dismantle it. "I'm hit. Guys?"

"I see them." Anakin copied, "Buzz droids."

While the little buggers took apart Obi-Wan's ship, one of them made its way to R4. "R4, be careful, you have a-" But it was too late, one of the buzz droids tore off R4's head. "Oh, dear. They're shutting down all the controls."

"Anakin, you take his right and get them off, I'll get his left." Natasha advised.

"The mission." Obi-Wan stressed, "Get to the command ship. Get the chancellor. I'm running out of tricks here." he said as his two friends fired at him. "Oh!" he cried, "In the name of-hold your fire! You're not helping here."

"I agree. Bad idea, Anakin, what were you thinking?" Natasha asked trying pass the blame.

"What?!"

"I can't see a thing. My cockpit's fogging."

"Hang on, we got you." Natasha reassured.

"Hold on, Natasha. You're gonna kill us all at this rate. Get out of here, both of you, there's nothing more you can do." Obi-Wan ordered.

"We're not leaving you behind, Master." Anakin refused.

"The general's command ship is dead ahead." Natasha alerted as Anakin knocked off the remaining buzz droids.

"Well, have you noticed the shields are still up?!" Obi-Wan asked panicking.

"…Oops. Don't worry, I'm on it." she replied as she took out the shield generators. But once she did, the blast doors began to quickly slide closed in place.

"Oh, I have a bad feeling about this." Obi-Wan whined.

"Have you ever noticed that you guys say that? Like a lot?" asked Natasha as they crashed into the ship, as their own skidded across the hangar floor, they each jumped out and made quick work of the droids around them.

"Artoo, Wall-E, locate the chancellor." ordered Obi-Wan as R2 pulled up Palpatine's location, "The chancellor's signal is coming from right there-the observation platform at the tip of that spire."

"I sense Count Dooku." Anakin informed.

"I sense a trap." Natasha added, "Next move?"

"Spring the trap." Obi-Wan grinned as the two droids called out to their masters.

"Artoo, go back. I need you to stay with the ship." Anakin said to his droid.

"Wall-E, do the same. Not a scratch, okay?" Natasha asked.

"Here," Obi-Wan said as he tossed them comlinks, though Wall-E fumbled his, "Wait for further orders."

The trio soon made their way to the nearest elevator down the corridor they were in but were ambushed by a group of destroyer droids. Thankfully, they had the elevator behind them and managed to get in; though it was filled with battle droids who were quickly cut down by the three Jedi.

"These guys are never any fun." Natasha complained as Anakin sent the elevator up; but a few moments later, it stoped.

"Did you press the stop button?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No, did either of you?"

"No."

"Well, there's more than one way out of here." Anakin pointed out as he began to cut a hole in the roof.

"We don't want to get out of here. We want to get moving. Artoo," Obi-Wan contacted, "Activate elevator 31174. Come in, Artoo. Artoo, do you copy?"

"Hang on, let me try Wall-E." Natasha intervened, "Wall-E, activate the elevator numbered 31174." no response, "Wall-E, activate elevator 3117-ahh!" Natasha yelped as the part of the elevator Anakin cut off almost hit her, "Watch where you're cutting next time!"

"Sorry." he apologized before jumping through the hole.

"Sigh, always on the move." Obi-Wan sighed, "Artoo, switch on the comlink. Artoo, can you hear me? Artoo?" Obi-Wan asked but this time, the elevator went down, rapidly.

"Artoo," Natasha said grabbing the comlink, "Artoo, stop. We need to be going up, not down." she said as the elevator abruptly stopped and shot back up. "Thank you." she said as Anakin jumped back in. "Welcome back."

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"Well, Artoo and Wall-E have been-"

"Hey, no loose wire jokes." Anakin interrupted.

"Did I say anything?" Obi-Wan asked on the defensive.

"They're trying." Natasha defended.

"I didn't say anything." Obi-Wan defended as the elevator reached the observation deck. As they walked out, they saw Palpatine restricted to a large chair on the other side of the room.

"Chancellor." Obi-Wan greeted.

"Are you alright?" Anakin asked.

"Count Dooku." muttered Palpatine as the Sith lord walked in.

"This time we will do it together." Obi-Wan advised reminding Anakin of what happened the last time the three of them confronted Dooku.

"I was about to say that." Anakin muttered.

"Get help." Palpatine advised, "You're no match for him. He's a Sith lord."

"Chancellor Palpatine, Sith lords are our speciality. Besides," Natasha grinned as she cracked her knuckles in anger, "We have a score to settle with this self-righteous old bastard for what he did to Nairbix."

"Your lightsabers please." said Dooku as he approached them, "We don't want to make a mess of things in front of the chancellor."

"You won't get away this time, Dooku." Obi-Wan countered as they all activated their lightsabers and began to attack one another.

"I've been looking forward to this." Dooku grinned evilly, "It's a pity young VanSull isn't here to join us."

"Shut up!" Natasha cried as she continued to attack the former Jedi gone rouge. Dooku, who was level headed, managed to fend off her attacks as Anakin helped her as he knocked Obi-Wan away. Once he got up, he quickly took down the two battle droids Dooku brought with him. As he went to join them, Dooku held both him and Natasha by the throats using the Force as he kicked Anakin away and tossed them aside. For good measure, Dooku also used the Force to pin them down with a platform.

Thankfully, Natasha wasn't unconscious like Obi-Wan and got out of the way with her friend in tow. She then rushed over to join Anakin in the fight.

"I sense great fear in you, Skywalker." Dooku taunted, "And much anger in Romanoff as well. You both have hate. You both have anger. But only one of you uses them."

"I learned how to control them." Natasha growled, "You know who taught me?" she asked as she caught Dooku off guard, "The man you impaled and left for dead."

Dooku then used the Force to knock her back against the wall leaving him to deal with Anakin. Thankfully, Dooku's age limited his maneuvering and allowed Anakin to gain the upper hand and cut off both of Dooku's as he caught his lightsaber in the air. With the defenseless Sith on his knees with both weapons at his neck, Palpatine began to chuckle and praise Anakin.

"Good, Anakin. Good. Kill him." he ordered flatly, "Kill him now."

"Wait, what?" Natasha asked as she picked herself and Obi-Wan up.

"I shouldn't." Anakin disagreed, though it was obvious he wanted to.

"Do it." spat the chancellor. Giving into the pressure, Anakin severed Dooku's head and watched it roll away. "You did well, Anakin." Palpatine praised, "He was too dangerous to be kept alive."

"Yes, but he was an unarmed prisoner." Anakin defended as he released him, "I shouldn't have done that. It's not the Jedi way."

"It was only natural." Palpatine reasoned, "He cut off your arm and nearly killed your friend, and you wanted revenge. It wasn't the first time, Anakin. Remember what you told me about your mother and the Sand People? Now we must leave before more security droids arrive." he advised as Anakin looked over to Natasha and Obi-Wan.

"Anakin," Palpatine halted, "There's no time. We must get off this ship before it's too late. They'll only slow us down."

"Natasha can barely keep herself up let alone Obi-Wan." Anakin argued as he went over to them.

"Leave them, or we'll never make it."

"Their fate will be the same as ours." Anakin dismissed as he helped Natasha to her feet with Obi-Wan's arms around their shoulders. "You alright?" he asked the redhead.

"That son of a bitch broke two of my ribs." she hissed in pain before using her magic to heal herself as they trudged over to the elevator, "Damn, elevator's not working. Wall-E," she contacted, "Activate elevator 3224."

As she said this, the ship was hit with heavy fire and began to turn on its side. With no other option, they opened the door and began to run through the shaft like a hallway. Unfortunately, the ship began to return to its normal position causing them to slide down uncontrollably. To make matters worse, Obi-Wan decided then to wake up.

"Good morning," Natasha greeted as he clutched onto Anakin as they all dangled from the side, "As you can see, we're in a bit of a situation here."

"Did I miss something?" he asked as the elevator began to descend on them, "What is that?"

"Vot der'mo." Natasha cursed in Russian, "Wall-E. Wall-E! Shut down the elevator, please." she asked through her panicking.

"Too late. Jump!" Obi-Wan shouted as they all let go and slid down to an open door. "Let's see if we can find something flyable in the hangar bay."

"Wall-E, you and Artoo get down here." said Natasha as they began to run down the hallway only to be stopped by ray-shields.

"Wait a minute. How did this happen?" Obi-Wan asked, "We're smarter than this."

"Apparently not." Anakin said flatly, "I say patience."

"Patience?" Obi-Wan and Natasha asked. As most already know, that was not one of Anakin's strong suits.

"Yes." he nodded, "Artoo and Wall-E will be along in a few moments and then they'll release the ray-shields." Literally a second later, the door next to them opened and they all looked see both R2 and Wall-E squealing as they drove straight into the wall. "See? No problem." he said.

But not a moment later, they were surrounded by droids. "Don't move." one of them warned but R2 simply shocked him causing him to be kicked down humorously.

"Do you have a plan B?" Obi-Wan deadpanned.

Next thing they knew, they were being brought up to see General Grievous in the control room after the ship came out of hyperspace over Coruscant. "Ah, yes. The negotiator." Grievous greeted as they were brought up to him, "General Kenobi, we've been waiting for you. That wasn't much of a rescue." he taunted as a droid presented their lightsabers to him. "And General Romanoff, the reputation of your beauty doesn't seem to do you justice." he said as he stroked one of his claws against her cheek only to be shrugged away. "A shame that it is ruined by the mere fact of you being Republic filth."

"General Grievous," she observed, "Anakin was right, you are shorter than I expected. You may want to get that cough looked at too. Not very attractive."

"Jedi scum." he wheezed while glaring at them.

"We have a job to do, Natasha. Try not to upset him." Obi-Wan reminded.

"Your lightsabers will make a fine addition to my collection. I certainly need them after leaving my last set with VanSull on Cadonia." Grievous chuckled as Natasha and Anakin glared at him, "Who knows? The three of you may just experience the pain he endured before the day is out."

"Not this time." Obi-Wan disagreed, "And this time, you won't escape."

"R2." Anakin alerted.

"Wall-E." Natasha said causing both droids to unleash their weapons on the surrounding droids and allowing the three Jedi to take back their weapons.

"Crush them." Grievous ordered, "Make them suffer!" With their impressive skills, the trio quickly cut down all the attacking droids without so much as a scratch on them or the chancellor.

"You lose, Generals." Grievous informed as he shattered one of the windows sucking Grievous into space where he made his escape. After the blast doors sealed the windows, an alarm beeped indicating that all of the escape pods had been launched.

"Can either of you fly a cruiser like this?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Fly? Yes." Natasha replied as the ship rumbled as it began to tear apart from the rear. "Land? Not so much. You may want to strap yourselves in."

"Open all hatches." Anakin advised, "Extend all flaps and drag fins."

"Copy that." Natasha calmly replied. But, that plan backfired as they began to lose more of the ship.

"Uh-oh!" Wall-E and R2 beeped.

"We lost something." Anakin informed.

"Wall-E, please tell me you compacted my ship before you came to find us?" Natasha asked as she looked at her co-pilot. Wall-E then opened his torso compartment and revealed a small black and orange mechanical rectangle in his claw. "Good boy." she sighed in relief.

"Well, at least we are still flying half a ship." Obi-Wan said with optimism.

"Yeah, but now we're really picking up speed." Anakin retorted as the ship was covered in heat and heading towards the planet. "Now we're in the atmosphere."

"Obi-Wan, keep us level." Natasha ordered, "Steady." she mumbled as they exited the atmosphere.

"Fire ships on the left and the right." Obi-Wan informed.

"We'll take you in."

"Copy that." he said to one of the pilots. "Landing strip, straight ahead."

"We're coming in too hot." Anakin said as they slowly crash landed.

"Sigh…that ought to do it." Natasha sighed heavily, "Whoo!"

After being picked up and brought back to the Senate building, Palpatine and Anakin stepped put while Obi-Wan and Natasha stayed in the transport. "Aren't you coming, Master?" Anakin asked Obi-Wan.

"Oh, no. I'm not brave enough for politics. We need to report to the council." Obi-Wan replied.

"Yeah, and after that I'm going to go check on Nairbix." Natasha replied, "Besides, someone needs to be the poster boy." she teased.

"Hold on. This whole operation was your idea." Anakin countered with his own smirk.

"Let us not forget, Anakin, that you rescued me from the buzz droids. And you killed Count Dooku, and you rescued the chancellor carrying me unconscious on your back." Obi-Wan reminded with pride for his old student.

"That and I really don't want to deal with the Senate right now." Natasha added.

"All because of your training." Anakin gratefully reminded.

"Anakin, let's be fair." Obi-Wan continued, "Today you were the hero and you deserve you glorious day with the politicians."

"All right." conceded Anakin, "But you owe me one," he said to Obi-Wan, "And not for saving you skin for the tenth time."

"Ninth time." Obi-Wan corrected, "That business on Cato Neimoidia doesn't-doesn't count. We'll see you at the briefing."

As the celebrations commenced on Coruscant, Grievous flew his ship to one of the many planets the Separatists had under their control. Once it landed, the cyborg quickly made his way to the nearest holo-panel and contacted Darth Sidious.

"Yes, Lord Sidious?" Grievous asked as he bowed. To the cloaked Sith.

"General Grievous," he addressed, "I suggest you move the Separatist leaders to Mustafar."

"It will be done, my lord."

"The end of the war is near, General." Sidious informed.

"But the loss of Count Dooku-"

"His death was a necessary loss." Sidious replied unaffected by the death of his apprentice. "Soon I will have a new apprentice-one far younger and more powerful."

Back in Coruscant as night began to fall, Natasha was finally able to get away from everyone else and see Nairbix. Nothing had changed since the last time she was in the room; he hadn't even moved in the slightest. She exchanged the dying flowers she left with the fresh ones she brought and set them next to a second vase with more dying flowers. They were most likely from Padme.

"Hey, Nairbix." she greeted as she took a seat next to him, his face covered by an oxygen mask didn't even so much as twitch. "Good news, we rescued Palpatine and Anakin killed Dooku. I got to admit, it wasn't one of my best missions. The old fart threw me around like a rag doll along with Obi-Wan. But he's gone, and that just leaves Grievous left to deal with. And after we take him down and you wake up, we can finally go home." Natasha said softly as she gently cupped his cheek and stroked it.

"Everybody's probably pissed at us already for being gone so long." she joked, "Both our moms are probably going to kill us as soon as they see us. Can't forget your brothers either, they'll really be mad at me for hogging you all to myself for these past two years. You know, the last time you were like this, you looked more peaceful. You still felt as cold as you normally do, but at least it was comforting unlike now; now you just feel as cold as a corpse would.

"Ah, listen to me, getting all worked up." chided the redhead, "You're going to be fine." she said as she got up once she noticed how late it was getting. She then leaned down and kissed his forehead before whispering to him, "Just wake up soon, okay? I miss you."

As Natasha walked through the halls of the temple's hospital wing, she spotted Padme with a bouquet of flowers. "Hey, Padme!" she called out. Hearing this, Padme turned and smiled at her longtime friend and for some reason waddled over to her.

"Hi, Natasha." she greeted from behind a counter.

"Hey, girl, what's up-whoa!" Natasha exclaimed as she walked over and noticed that Padme was pregnant. About seven months from her estimate.

"Yeah," Padme giggled through her embarrassment, "I'm pregnant."

"…How?" she asked, "When-who?!"

"Well, um…" Padme carried off trying to be subtle and drop her friend a hint.

"Oh!" Natasha realized, "Padme…wow, I didn't take you to be that kind of girl."

Hearing this, Padme's face flushed redder than Natasha's hair. "…Well, you know…sometimes a women's got to be satisfied."

"I hear you there. I mean, you have no idea what I've done to Nairbix while he's slept over the years." Natasha remarked causing Padme to drop the flowers. Thankfully, Natasha managed to catch them and hand them back to the senator. "Kidding. Just kidding." she admitted.

"Oh, right." Padme nervously laughed, "Well, I'm just gonna switch these out for Nairbix and head on home."

"Okay. Bye!" Natasha waved as she walked away chuckling to herself, "Oh, that girl is fun to tease."

The next morning, Natasha was in one of the meditation rooms with Yoda in hopes of locating General Grievous through the Force. Just then, Anakin, who looked troubled, entered the room. "Good morning, Skywalker." Yoda greeted.

"Good morning, Masters." he greeted in return.

"Something troubling you, hmm?" Yoda asked.

"Yes, Master," he said as he took a seat before the two Jedi, "Last night I was given…premonitions in my sleep."

"Premonitions?" Yoda asked, "Premonitions. Hmm." he pondered, "These visions you have?

"They're of pain, suffering…death." Anakin replied with dread.

"Yourself, or someone you know?" Natasha asked.

"Someone." Anakin replied after slightly hesitating.

"Close to you?" Yoda asked.

"Yes." Anakin admitted knowing Yoda would disapprove.

"Careful you must be when sensing the future, Anakin." Yoda warned, "The fear of loss is a path to the dark side."

"I won't let these visons come true, Master Yoda." Anakin declared as his voice shook.

"Death is a natural part of life." Natasha reminded gently.

"Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force." Yoda soothed, "Mourn them, do not. Miss them, do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed that is."

"What must I do, Master Yoda?" Anakin asked.

"Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose." Yoda advised. Anakin then got up without a word, bowed to them, and left the room. Later that day, the council was informed that the chancellor appointed, without their consent or approval, Anakin to be his personal representative to the Republic on the council.

In the council room with Anakin before them, Yoda addressed what they deemed. "Allow this appointment lightly the council does not. Disturbing is this move by Chancellor Palpatine."

"I understand." Anakin replied.

"You are on this council," Windu informed, "But we do not grant you the rank of master."

"What?" Anakin asked. Truth be told, Natasha felt guilty seeing as she was appointed master and member of the council without even training at the temple let alone everything Anakin had done for them. It made her feel like a hypocrite.

"How can you do this?" Anakin asked feeling betrayed and cheated, "This is outrageous. It's unfair. How can you be on the council and not be a master?" he asked hotly.

"Take a seat, young Skywalker." Windu said with his own hardened glare.

"Forgive me, Master." Anakin apologized as he remembered his place; though he was clearly still unhappy. Master Mundi then gave his report on the war effort.

"We have surveyed all systems in the Republic but have found no sign of General Grievous."

"I'd bet my money on Grievous hiding out in the outer rim." spoke up Natasha, "I suggest we sweep the outlying systems."

"We do not have many ships to spare." Obi-Wan reminded.

"What about the droid attacks on the Wookies?" Mundi asked, "It is critical we send an attack group to them immediately."

"He's right." Obi-Wan agreed, "They're in a system we cannot afford to lose."

"Go I will." Yoda informed, "Good relations with the Wookies I have."

"It's settled then." Windu nodded, "Yoda will take a battalion of clones to reinforce the Wookies on Kashyyk. May the Force be with us all."

After the meeting was dismissed, Anakin vented his anger as he walked with Obi-Wan and Natasha. "What kind of nonsense is this?" he asked bitterly, "Put me on the council and not make me a master? It's never been done in the history of the Jedi. It's insulting."

"Oh, calm down, Anakin." Obi-Wan lectured, "You have been given a great honor. The fact of the matter is you are too close to the chancellor."

"The council doesn't like it when he interferes in Jedi affairs." Natasha pointed out.

"I swear to you both, I didn't ask to be put on the council."

"But it's what you wanted." Natasha reminded, "Your friendship with Chancellor Palpatine seems to have paid off."

"That has nothing to do with this." Anakin defended.

"The only reason the council has approved your appointment is because the chancellor trusts you." Obi-Wan said to him.

"And?"

"Anakin, we are on your side." Natasha reminded gently, "We didn't want to put you in this situation."

"What situation?" he asked.

"…The council wants you to report on all the chancellor's dealings." Obi-Wan replied with reluctance, "They want to know what he's up to."

"They want me to spy on the chancellor?" Anakin asked in shock.

"It's not all that surprising really." Natasha defended, "He's basically having you spy on the council for him.

"But that's treason." Anakin argued.

"We are at war, Anakin." Obi-Wan defended.

"Why didn't the council give me this assignment when we were in session?" he asked.

"This assignment is not to be on record." said Obi-Wan.

"The chancellor is not a bad man, Obi-Wan. He befriended me. He's watched out for me ever since I arrived here."

"That is why you must help us. Anakin, our allegiance is to the Senate, not to its leader who has managed to stay in office long after his term has expired." Obi-Wan reminded.

"The Senate demanded that he stay longer." defended Anakin.

"Yes, but use your feelings, Anakin." Natasha advised, "Something is out of place."

"Sigh…you're asking me to do something against the Jedi code, against the Republic, against a mentor and a friend. That's what out of place here. Why are you asking this of me?"

"The council is asking you." Obi-Wan softly replied.

Later that day, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Windu, and Natasha flew through the city in one of the gunships as they discussed Anakin. "Anakin did not take to his new assignment with much enthusiasm." Natasha informed the other masters.

"It's very dangerous, putting them together." Windu warned, "I don't think the boy can handle it. I don't trust him."

"Please, you hardly trust anyone, Windu." Natasha retorted.

"With all due respect, Master, is he not the Chosen One?" Obi-Wan asked, "Is he not to destroy the Sith and bring balance to the Force?"

"So the prophecy says."

"A prophecy that misread could have been." Yoda offered.

"He will not let me down. He never has." Obi-Wan reassured.

"I hope right you are." Yoda replied as they dropped him off to depart for Kashyyk. Two days later, the council met to hear what Anakin had to discuss about Palpatine.

"The chancellor believes General Grievous to be on Utapau." he informed, "A partial message was intercepted in a diplomatic packet from the chairman of the world."

"Hmm. Act on this we must." Yoda advised, "The capture of General Grievous will end this war. Quickly and decisively we should proceed."

"The chancellor has requested that I lead the campaign." Anakin informed.

"The council will make up its own mind who is to go, not the chancellor." Windu retorted.

"A master is needed, with more experience." Yoda recommended.

"I concur." said Master Mundi, "Master Kenobi should go. And Master Romanoff should aid him in this campaign."

"I agree." Yoda nodded.

"Very well. Council adjourned." Windu dismissed. At the loading platform for the Republic's Star Cruisers, the three friends walked to the ship that would take Natasha and Obi-Wan to Utapau.

"You're gonna need me on this one, guys." Anakin joked.

"Oh, yeah, who else would be there to cause all the chaos and fun?" Natasha teased, "Besides, you never know, it could just turn out to be a wild goose chase."

"…Master, Natasha." Anakin said dropping his joking attitude, "I've disappointed you." he admitted surprising them, "I haven't been very appreciative of your training or your friendship. I have been arrogant, and I apologize. I've just been so frustrated with the council, and the war, and everything that's happened lately what with Ahsoka and now Nairbix…I'm sorry."

Hearing the words of a man from the Jedi they first met as a small boy brought nothing but smiles and pride to the two Jedi. Obi-Wan placed his hands on Anakin's shoulders and looked him straight in the eye so he could see how proud he was. "You are strong and wise, Anakin, and we are very proud of you. I have trained you since you were a small boy. I have taught you everything I know. And you have become a far greater Jedi than I could ever hope to be."

"But be patient, Anakin." Natasha soothed, "It won't be long before the council makes you a Jedi Master." she said before pulling him into a strong hug and making her way with Obi-Wan to the ship.

"Obi-Wan, Natasha." Anakin said gaining their attention, "May the Force be with you."

"Goodbye, old friend. May the Force be with you." Obi-Wan said back still proudly smiling while Natasha playfully bowed.

Little did they know, that would be the last time they truly ever saw Anakin Skywalker again.

In their ship, they met with their Clone commanders and listened to their battle strategy. After hearing it, they boarded Natasha's ship and made their way to Utapau after making the jump to hyperspace. Once they arrived at the planet, they met with the world's Prime Minister.

"Greetings, young Jedi." he said to them, "What brings you to our remote sanctuary?"

"Unfortunately, the war." replied Obi-Wan.

"There's no war here-unless you brought it with you."

"With your kind permission, we should like some fuel, and to use your city as a base as we search nearby systems for General Grievous." Natasha asked as he drew in close to whisper.

"He is here. We are being held hostage. They are watching us."

"We understand."

"Tenth level, thousands of battle droids." he warned.

"Tell your people to take shelter." Natasha advised, "If you have warriors, now is the time." she said as they all bowed to each other. She then turned to Wall-E to inform him of their next move. "Cloak the ship after you've told Cody and Wulfric we've made contact. Wait for us until it's time to leave. Stay close but keep out of sight and the blast range."

Wall-E saluted to her and boarded the ship to do as he was told. After they hitched a ride on some sort of yipping giant lizard, they found their target. "Howdy, y'all." Natasha greeted as she and Obi-Wan snuck behind Grievous and his droids.

"Generals Kenobi and Romanoff," Grievous sneered, "You are as bold as they say. I shall take pleasure in killing you Jedi slime."

"Your move." Obi-Wan offered.

"You fool." Grievous insulted, "I have been trained in your Jedi arts by Count Dooku. Even VanSull fell to my skills."

"Well, to be fair, you do have four arms and lightsabers, and you were fighting him along with three or four other guys; so really it wasn't much of a fair fight." argued Natasha over the technicalities while they and Grievous activated their weapons. After making quick work of two of Grievous's hands, the Jedi found themselves with some luck as the Clones came in with back up.

"Army or not, you must realize you are both doomed." Grievous said to them.

"You know, if I had a quarter for every time I heard that…I'd have a lot quarters." Natasha joked as she and Obi-Wan knocked Grievous away with a powerful Force Push. And like the coward he was, Grievous tried to escape on a one wheeled transport.

Obi-Wan then whistled for their ride and followed Grievous down the chasm past all the clones and droids; in the process, Obi-Wan dropped his lightsaber. As they caught up to him, Obi-Wan made a bold move and jumped onto Grievous's transport to try and throw him off.

After he did, Natasha jumped over and cut off his remaining arms and tore off his chest armor giving Obi-Wan the chance to pick up a nearby blaster and shoot Grievous's exposed organs. As they were set ablaze and the general laid dying, Obi-Wan said only two words.

"So uncivilized."

It was then that Natasha picked up another blaster and aimed it at Grievous's chest; before she fired and finished the deed, she said some words of her own, "This is for Nairbix." And thus, the last major threat of the Separatists was dead.

Back in Nairbix's hospital room at Coruscant, Anakin sat next to his friend hoping he would wake up and talk to him once again. "I feel so lost, Nairbix." he confessed, "I feel like everything I know is being twisted and perverted every day this war goes on. Ever since they expelled Ahsoka, I question the council's methods with each meeting I attend."

But Nairbix said nothing. He didn't even twitch.

"I don't know if you can hear me. I don't know if you can sense my pain right now or my conflict, but I need you, Nairbix." Anakin stressed on the verge of tears. "Please. Please, wake up." he begged, "Please, wake up, I need you." Still gaining no response, Anakin became frustrated, very frustrated. "Wake up." he repeated through his gritting teeth.

"Wake up." he now growled, "Wake up!" Anakin yelled as he grabbed Nairbix by the shoulders and shook him. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up, already!"

But Nairbix remained in his coma; no amount of yelling or shaking Anakin could do could pull him out of his state. Realizing that he was truly on his own, Anakin dropped Nairbix back onto his bed and stormed out, not knowing that on that very night, his life, his destiny, and everything in the entire galaxy would change with only three words spread throughout the ears of all Clones.

As the battle wagged on Utapau, Obi-Wan and Natasha came to meet up with Cody and Wulfric. "Commander, contact your troops." Obi-Wan said to Cody, "Tell them to move to the higher levels."

"Very good, sir." Cody replied, "Oh, by the way, I think you'll be needing this." he recommended Obi-Wan as he held his lightsaber.

"Thank you, Cody. Now let's get a move on. We've got a battle to win here." Obi-Wan encouraged.

"Keep them in line, Wulfric." Natasha reminded as they took off.

"With pleasure, General!" Wulfric called back. As soon as they left, Cody received as transmission from an unexpected individual, Chancellor Palpatine; or as he was also call, Darth Sidious!

"Commanders Cody and Wulfric, the time has come. Execute Order 66."

"…Yes, my lord." they humbly complied as the Jedi rode across the side of the chasm.

"Blast 'em!" Cody ordered the gunmen. He fired from his tank and hit them dead on sending them both plummeting into the pool at the chasm's base.

On another world, Master Mundi met the same fate as his Clones turned on him. As did Secura on Felucia, Plo Koon as he soared through Toydaria, and countless, if not all Jedi throughout the Galaxy. At the temple, all the Jedi, including the younglings were slaughtered as the Clones showed no mercy in killing them. Inside the council room, a small group of younglings hid behind the chairs until the doors opened. As they opened, they saw Anakin with his hood up enter the room.

"Master Skywalker," one of them asked, "There are too many of them. What are we going to do?"

But Anakin said nothing. He just stood there and stared at them all. A moment later, he activated not his usual blue lightsaber, but a new red one instead and moved in on the Padawans.

The cries of every last child in the temple rang throughout all the halls; most likely because every hall had a least one youngling and older Jedi in them as the Clones attacked. In the hospital wing, Nairbix laid still, but as the sound of gunfire and screaming filled the air, his heart monitor showed an increase in blood pressure.

It was as if as each of the Jedi, young and old alike, were killed, Nairbix began to stir; as if he could see each of them drop onto floor dead. His whole body soon began to shake and convulse until finally, his eye shot open blazing and all.

In the midst of all this chaos, Spades and the rest of Noise Maker squad managed to sneak into the hospital wing. Their mission: rescue Nairbix.

"All clear, sir." Dars informed Spades as they headed to Nairbix's room.

"Keep a look out." Spades ordered, "If you see anyone come in, question them and if they're here for the general, kill them."

"Yes, sir."

Inside the room, Nairbix pretended to still be in his coma while most of his troopers came in. When Spades had his back turned, Nairbix took the moment to strike. He used his chains to strangle Spades enough to the point of restricting him from fighting back.

"Unless you want to die, you better give me a damn good reason as to why you're here, Spades." Nairbix hissed in his ear.

"General," Spades choked, "Please, we're not here to kill you."

"Oh, really?" Nairbix asked thinking it was a lie, "Well, that's a relief. Say, did you happen to kill any younglings on your way here?" he asked.

"No!" Spades wheezed as the rest of the squad looked conflicted on what to do, "I swear we didn't kill any Jedi, sir! Just a few troopers on their way here to take you out."

"Hmm, and what makes you lot so anti-murder innocent children when your brothers are clearly having a whale of a time doing just that?!" Nairbix cried in anger as his eyes continued to blaze.

"General, please! I can't tell you unless you let me go; we're running out of time!" Spades pleaded, "Sir, I swear on Fives that I'm telling you the truth!"

Hearing the name of the deceased and beloved Clone they lost months ago, Nairbix considered the possibility of Spades' words and let him go. "This better be good or else you'll find more than just your head being at the mercy of my chains, Spades."

"Duly noted, General. Glad to see your strength hasn't left you." choked Spades, "The reason why we're not acting against the Jedi like the troopers out there is because we did as you suggested, sir." he said as they all took off their helmets to reveal identical surgical scars on their heads.

"You're theory was right, General, it was a biochip, not a tumor found in our brothers' heads. The Kaminoans had us programed since birth to turn against the Jedi and kill them on sight once we heard the words, 'execute Order 66.'" he explained, "They had us wired up like clankers from the start."

"And everyone on the squad had them removed?" Nairbix asked.

"Yes, sir. Got them out right after the incident with Fives."

"Where is Tear and Jackal?" he asked noticing two of his men missing.

"Right beneath your window, sir." Lou informed, "We have a ship ready to take us to the rendezvous point Senator Organa sent us."

"Organa?"

"Yes, sir." Kul replied, "He witnessed the first strike on the temple first hand and is doing everything in his power to help any surviving Jedi."

"…Any word on Natasha?"

"Not yet, General. The order was only given out less than an hour ago. But we're keeping our ears open for any word." Zach replied as he tried to hack into the other transitions. "Uh, sir, we've got trouble. Skywalker is on his way up here and…and they killed all the remaining Jedi in the temple."

Bowing his head in both anger and sadness, Nairbix formulated his next move. "Get to the ship and wait at the weapons depot down below." he ordered, "If anyone asks, say you're on ammunition detail and if they begin to ask too many questions, kill them."

"What about you, sir?" Spades asked.

"I'll meet up with you in five minutes. I want to have a little chat with the chancellor's new apprentice!" Nairbix hissed in rage.

After his squad made their escape, Nairbix met up with Anakin to confront him. "Well, well, well," he trailed, "A guy falls into a coma for a while and this is what he wakes up to: Hell."

"Nairbix," Anakin began gently, "You need to understand, I'm doing this to protect the Republic. The Jedi have been plotting to take over the Senate."

"Have they?" Nairbix asked as he slowly paced in front of Anakin, "Tell me, Anakin, were the innocent little children you slaughtered tonight also in on this so-called coup d'état? Because I find that hard to believe."

"They would have been brought up to obey the order without question, denied of feeling anything; I did those younglings a favor." Anakin argued.

"You keep telling yourself that." Nairbix retorted as he noticed Anakin's new lightsaber. "I see you have a new weapon. I'm guessing that was a gift from your new master?"

"Yes." Anakin replied proudly ready to defend Sidious, "He has given me a new weapon and a new name. Anakin Skywalker was my Jedi name, now I am Darth Vader." Ana-Vader declared.

"…It would seem that while I was in my coma…one of dear friends died as he killed Count Dooku." Nairbix said in sorrow.

"We don't have to be enemies," Vader offered, "You are not a Jedi, my master could use your strength; we can overthrow him and restore peace to this galaxy!" he offered in excitement.

"You want me to join forces with the bastard who literally stabbed me in the back and left for dead on a godforsaken world for three days all so you and I can kill him and take his place?" Nairbix asked dumbfounded at the offer, "Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds? I'd rather lose a thumb than do that!"

"Nairbix-"

"And another thing," Nairbix interjected, "Where would Natasha and Obi-Wan, our friends, fit in this grand scheme that you and your master have planned?"

"…They sopped being my friends when they betrayed the Republic." Vader spat.

Nairbix shook his head. "So this it? After all we've been through, you're just going to toss away the bonds you forged with them just like that?" he asked snapping his finger.

"I will not disobey my master." Vader replied giving Nairbix his answer, "I need his knowledge and power."

"Why?" Nairbix asked, "So you can 'save' Padme from dying in childbirth like your visions keep telling you?" he asked causing Vader to go silent. "I may I have been in a coma, Anakin, but my senses most certainly weren't. I know about everything you've been dealing with from the moment you got back from your mission to when you decided to throw away everyone and everything you knew and loved. And to be completely honest with you, I knew about you and Padme the whole time."

Vader said nothing as he seethed and breathed in anger; even his eyes changed from blue to a Sith's sulfuric yellow while his hair became sullen and his skin pale. "Any last words?" he asked as he activated both his lightsabers.

"Yeah," Nairbix nodded as he summoned Heartbreaker, "Ahsoka would be ashamed of you."

Vader then snarled as he charged at his former friend who easily held off his attacks. Fighting with emotions was new to Vader so his attacks were extremely sloppy and pathetic. So naturally, Nairbix was able to make quick work with him.

"Flux Wave!" he cried as he sent Vader and all of his troopers back inside the temple allowing him to escape with his squad.

On Utapau, Natasha and Obi-Wan, who managed to survive, snuck past the Clones and tried to make their way back to the top of the chasm where the ship and Wall-E were. At first, it seemed as though they were going to make it off-world without any problems, but then they were found by Cody, Wulfric and their troops.

"Wall-E, get to the ship!" Natasha shouted, but just as the little droid was about to do so, Wulfric fired his blaster and shot Wall-E five times. "NO!" Natasha cried as she ran over to try and save her little friend.

"Natasha, come on!" Obi-Wan shouted as he covered them and made his way to the ship. But Natasha just cradled Wall-E as he weakly moaned in pain. His circuits were fried, his right eye piece was destroyed, and the rest of him was covered holes from the blaster fire. With what little strength he had, Wall-E urged Natasha to get to the ship as he struggled to point to it; but she just stayed as she silently began to cry.

"It's over, Jedi!" Wulfric shouted over the gunfire. Suddenly, his weapon along with the others' flew out of their hands and gathered into a compressed spinning sphere in the air. Natasha then looked up from Wall-E and glared at the Clones as tears went down her face.

All of them, one by one, were pulled up into the air just like their weapons and slowly and painfully began to compress into a sphere; the sounds of their painful screams and cracking bones rang through her and Obi-Wan's ears. With her anger reaching levels she never thought possible, Natasha raised her trembling hands and clenched them into fists causing all of the Clones to burst.

Their blood and scattered body parts covered the area they were in, but Natasha didn't care; she didn't care that she was soaked in the blood of those she once called her comrades. All she cared about now was getting Wall-E someplace safe so she could repair him.

She hadn't noticed that Obi-Wan brought her and Wall-E onto the ship until she heard him try to make contact. "Emergency code 913. I have no contact on any frequency."

"Master Kenobi." Senator Organa addressed through a disoriented frequency.

"Senator Organa. General Romanoff's and my own troopers have turned on us. We need help."

"We just rescued Masters Yoda and VanSull."

"He's awake?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes, though for some reason, his squadron of Clones have not turned on us as the others did. It appears this ambush has happened everywhere. We're sending you our coordinates." Organa informed. Obi-Wan then made the jump to hyperspace.

"Did you hear that, Natasha?" Obi-Wan asked, "Nairbix is awake."

"…Good, that's good to hear." she replied as she wiped away her tears and steadied herself, "Sorry about that, I'm good now."

"I understand how much Wall-E means to you, Natasha." Obi-Wan reassured, "It's alright to act this way."

"Maybe so, but we still have a job to do." Natasha replied, "I'll worry more about Wall-E's condition when the time is right." she said as they came out of hyperspace and came aboard Senator Organa's ship.

"How many other Jedi have managed to survive?" Obi-Wan asked Yoda as they along with Senator Organa and Nairbix walked through the halls.

"Heard from no one we have." Yoda replied.

"I saw thousands of troops attack the Jedi Temple." Organa informed, "That's why I went looking for Yoda and Nairbix."

"Have we had any contact from the temple?" Natasha asked.

"Received a coded retreat message we have." Yoda informed.

"Most likely a trap." Nairbix replied, "As I left, nearly everyone there was dead; they were most likely finished off within the hour. It requests all Jedi to return to the temple. Says the war is over."

"I suggest we head back and dismantle the coded signal." Obi-Wan suggested, "There is too much at stake."

"I agree." said Yoda.

"So do I." Natasha added.

"Same." Nairbix threw in, "We may yet receive a little more knowledge along the way."

"Though, I hope that it's that Vader has already been dealt with and there are more survivors than I think. But that seems unlikely." he thought.

As the ship began to approach Coruscant, the pilot informed them that they received a message from the chancellor's office. The message was the Senator Organa was to report to a special session of Congress. This certainly made things easier for the party to make their way into the temple.

At the same time on Mustafar, Vader made his way into the building where the Separatist leaders were in so to carry out his master's orders. As he walked inside with his hood up, he was greeted by Viceroy Gunray.

"Welcome, Lord Vader. We've been expecting you."

As soon as he said this, Vader used the Force to close all exits and began to carry out his mission. Kill all of the Separatists.

Back on Coruscant in the Senate building, Sidious, or rather at this moment Palpatine, was giving a speech to the senators regarding the Jedi. "The Jedi rebellion has been foiled. The remaining Jedi will be hunted down and defeated!" he shouted in triumph.

Due to Windu's last stand against him, Sidious's face was now grotesque, pale, sullen, and wrinkled. A befitting appearance for a lord of the Sith.

At the temple, Nairbix and the others walked through the temple and past the countless dead bodies of clones and Jedi. "Not even the younglings survived." Natasha muttered in horror seeing the dead children at her feet.

"Killed not by Clones this Padawan." Yoda informed choking on his words, "By a lightsaber he was."

Obi-Wan then kneeled to close the child's eye and asked, "Who? Who could've done this?"

On Mustafar, Vader quickly and mercilessly cut down each of the Separatist leader in the room he was in before moving on to the next one to repeat the process.

At the Senate building, nearly all of the Senators were applauding at Sidious's words not even truly knowing what he had in store for the government they dedicated their lives to. "The attempt on my life has left scarred and deformed. But I assure you, my resolve has never been stronger!"

As he said this, Vader continued to kill the remaining Separatists, but as he looked down at their corpses, he looked at them in hatred with the yellow eyes of a Sith just as he did with Nairbix.

"In order to ensure the security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire!" Sidious declared earning more applause than ever before, "For a safe and secure society."

"So this is how liberty dies." Padme said from her hovercraft shaking her head, "With thunderous applause."

Finally, Vader had his last target right before him, one Separatist he had been particularly saving for last. The very alien who had wanted the head of his wife brought to him on a silver platter twelve years ago, Viceroy Gunray.

"The war is over." he reasoned to Vader, "Lord Sidious promised us peace. We only want-" But Vader ended his excuses by swiftly cutting his throat before walking away, purposely stepping on each body in his way.

At the temple, Obi-Wan managed to recalibrate the signal code in order to warn and surviving Jedi not to return to the temple. After he did, Obi-Wan decided to look into who it truly was who led the slaughter on the temple.

"If you go into the security footage, Obi-Wan, you'll only find pain." Nairbix warned.

"I must know the truth, Nairbix." Obi-Wan replied as both he and Natasha looked at the holo-recordings. Nairbix looked down at Yoda who simply nodded, he undoubtedly sensed what happened and knew the truth.

As they searched through the recordings, they found who they were looking for. They found footage of Anakin-or rather Vader-killing the younglings. "It can't be." Obi-Wan denied as Natasha covered her mouth in shock, "It can't be."

"You have done well, my new apprentice." the recording of Sidious praised as Vader knelt before him, "Now, Lord Vader, go and bring peace to the Empire."

"Shut it off." Natasha demanded, "I can't watch anymore. Why didn't you tell us?" she asked Nairbix who looked just as heartbroken.

"I felt that it was something you needed to see with your own eyes." he replied, "…You know what we must do now."

"Hmm," Yoda nodded, "Destroy the Sith we must."

"Send me to kill the emperor." Obi-Wan pleaded knowing that Yoda was bound to send him after Vader, "I will not kill Anakin."

"To fight this Lord Sidious, strong enough you are not." Yoda reasoned as he paced in front of Obi-Wan.

"He is like my brother. I cannot do it." Obi-Wan said as his heart began to shatter even further than before.

"Anakin has become twisted by the dark side, Obi-Wan." Nairbix argued, "He tried to kill me simply because I refused to join him."

"The boy you trained, gone he is." Yoda continued, "Consumed by Darth Vader."

"I do not know where the emperor has sent him." Obi-Wan argued, "I don't know where to look."

"Use your feelings, Obi-Wan, and find him you will." Yoda replied.

"So," Natasha began, "What's our next plan of attack?" she asked.

"We're up against two powerful lords of the Sith." Nairbix reasoned, "It's not going to be easy. But we have our own advantage. There's four of us and only two of them. I say we use that against them. I'll go with Yoda, I have a score to settle with the emperor."

"Fine by me." Natasha nodded in approval as she slammed her fist into her hand, "I'd like to have a little chat with Lord Vader." she spat.

At Padme's apartment, Natasha and Obi-Wan tried to gain answers as to where Anakin's location was. "When was the last time you saw him?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yesterday." Padme replied as she went over to sit down.

"Do you know where he is know?" Natasha asked.

"…No." Padme replied though it was obvious she was lying.

"Padme, we need your help." Natasha pleaded, "He's in grave danger.

"From the Sith?" she asked.

"From himself." Obi-Wan replied, "Padme, Anakin has turned to the dark side."

"You're wrong!" Padme exclaimed, "How could you even say that?"

"We have seen a security hologram of him…killing younglings." Obi-Wan choked the pain all too fresh.

"Not Anakin. He couldn't." Padme denied.

"He was deceived by a lie, Padme, we all were." Natasha explained, "The chancellor is behind everything, including the war. Palpatine is the Sith lord we've been looking for. After the death of Count Dooku, Anakin became his new apprentice. He even tried to kill Nairbix in cold blood when he refused his offer to join them."

"I don't believe you." Padme said to them after taking everything in, she was on the verge of heartbroken tears.

"Padme," Obi-Wan gently said, "We must find him."

Padme turned to them and realized what their intentions were. "You're going to kill him, aren't you?"

"…He has become a very great threat." Natasha replied giving Padme their answer. As they both stood up, Obi-Wan turned to ask Padme one last question.

"Anakin is the father isn't he?" Padme said nothing as she bowed her head, "We're so sorry." he said as they began to walk back to their transport.

"We need to be patient. She'll go to him once she thinks we've been gone long enough." Natasha advised as they hurriedly walked back to their ship.

"How long did you know?" Obi-Wan asked.

"From the start." she replied without the slightest hesitation.

On Mustafar, Vader, or rather Anakin looked out at the sea of lava before him and wept tears of despair over the monster he had become.

Not long after the two Jedi supposedly left, Padme had her ship readied to take her to Mustafar; little did she know, two cloaked Jedi managed to sneak onboard and hide out of sight.

It didn't take long for the ship to reach its destination and when it did, Padme got out as quickly as her pregnant body would let her once she saw her husband. As they ran towards each other, Anakin pulled her into a hug.

"I saw your ship. What are you doing out here?" he asked his frantic wife.

"I was so worried about you." Padme confessed, "Obi-Wan and Natasha told me terrible things."

"What things? What did they tell you?" Anakin asked.

"They said you turned the dark side. That you killed younglings and tried to kill Nairbix."

"…Obi-Wan and Natasha are trying to turn you against me." Anakin tried to reason.

"They care about us."

"…Us?" he asked as his temper began to grow.

"They know." she said, "They want to help you." she said, but Anakin scoffed and smirked at the thought of his enemies wanting to help him. "Anakin, all I want is your love."

"Love won't save you, Padme. Only my new powers can do that."

"At what cost?" she asked, "You're a good person, don't do this." she pleaded.

"I won't lose you the way I lost my mother." Anakin declared as he began to show his anger, "I am becoming more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of. And I'm doing it for you. To protect you."

"Come away with me." Padme pleaded for probably for the last time, "Help me raise our child. Leave everything behind while we still can."

"Don't you see?" he asked showing that he was drunk on his own power and lost in his own world. "We don't have to run away anymore. I have brought peace to the Republic. I am more powerful than the chancellor. I can overthrow him. And together you and I can rule the galaxy. Make things the way we want them to be!" he offered in excitement thinking she would agree. But Padme backed away in fear and shock, shaking her head at Anakin.

"I don't believe what I'm hearing." she said through her shaking voice, "Obi-Wan and Natasha were right. You've changed."

"I don't to hear any more about Obi-Wan, or Natasha, or even Nairbix." Anakin sternly told, "Nairbix and the Jedi turned against me. Don't you turn against me." he warned.

"I don't know you anymore." Padme said as she began to cry, "Anakin, you're breaking my heart! You're going down a path I can't follow."

"…Because of Obi-Wan?" he asked getting the wrong idea.

"Because of what you've done! What you plan to do." Padme replied, "Stop. Stop now. Come back." she pleaded, but Anakin wasn't paying attention to her. His attention was caught by Natasha and Obi-Wan standing in the ship, glaring at him. "I love you."

"Liar!" Vader cried. Padme then turned and saw the two Jedi as they came down from the ship.

"No. No!" Padme said trying to defend herself and explain.

"You're with him!" Vader accused pointing at Obi-Wan, "You brought them here to kill me." he accused as he began to choke Padme with the Force.

"Let her go, Anakin." Natasha ordered.

"Anakin." Padme pleaded.

"Let her go." Obi-Wan ordered with more force in his voice. Vader did so, but Padme had lost too much air; she collapsed onto the ground unconscious.

"You turned her against me!" Vader cried as he glared back at them.

"You have done that yourself." Obi-Wan shot back.

"You will not take her from me!" shouted Vader.

"Your anger and your lust for power have already done that." Natasha retorted, "You have allowed this dark lord to twist your mind until now…until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy."

"Don't lecture me, Natasha." Vader dismissed, "I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the dark side as you do. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new empire." Vader declared as though they justified his actions.

"You're new empire?" Obi-Wan asked not believing the nonsense coming from his former student.

"…Don't make me kill you." he warned.

"Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic, to democracy!" Obi-Wan shouted.

"If you're not with me, then you're my enemies!" Vader warned them as he turned his back to them.

"Only a Sith deals in absolutes." Natasha said shaking her head as they readied their lightsabers, "We will do what we must."

"You will try." Vader taunted as he jumped back as he lit his two lightsabers and the Jedi defended themselves with their own. As it was Qui-Gon who taught Obi-Wan everything he knew and in turn Obi-Wan did the same to Anakin, the three of them were equals in terms of skills and fighting styles. This battle was not going to be easily decided.

In the chancellor's office in the Senate building beneath the congress room, Yoda and Nairbix made their way to confront Sidious. "We hear a new apprentice you have, Emperor." Yoda greeted, "Or should we call you Darth Sidious?"

"Masters Yoda and VanSull. You survived." Sidious growled clearly displeased.

"Are you surprised?" Nairbix asked, "You should know better than anyone how hard it is to kill me." he teased.

"Your arrogance blinds the both of you." Sidious warned, "Now you will experience the full power of the dark side." He then sent a blast of Force Lightning at them only for it to be deflected by Nairbix's quickly summoned barrier.

"Hmm, I'm still not impressed." he spat in disapproval.

On Mustafar, Vader showed his former comrades no mercy as he furiously unleashed his onslaught. As they fought, they unconsciously made their way into the station. When Vader had his back Obi-Wan, he and Natasha tried to slam their lightsabers onto Vader but he quickly shrugged them off before continuing his attempts to kill them.

"I have waited a long time for this moment, my foolish friends." Sidious cackled as Nairbix and Yoda stood their ground. "At last the Jedi are no more."

"Not if anything to say about it we have." Yoda declared as he used the Force to send Sidious flying back into his chair with the help of Nairbix's Flux Wave.

"Your rule is at an end." Nairbix said to the Sith lord, "And it wasn't short enough."

Sidious then attempted to flee but was blocked by his two opponents. "If so powerful you are, why leave?" Yoda asked as he activated his lightsaber and Nairbix summoned his Keyblade.

"You will not stop me." Sidious denied, "Darth Vader will become more powerful than any of us." he declared as he whipped out both of his own lightsabers.

"Faith in your new apprentice misplaced may be. As is your faith in the dark side of the Force." Yoda retorted as they all took their stances. Nairbix went in for the first strike with Yoda following, but Sidious deflected both attacks, cackling the whole time.

When Vader seemed to be getting overpowered, he kicked away Natasha onto one of the control panels in the room they were in while he slowly pinned Obi-Wan backwards with his iron grip around his throat.

Seeing her friend in distress, Natasha jumped back over and swatted Vader onto the holo-table next to them knocking his weapons away. She and Obi-Wan stood above him with their lightsabers read to take his head, but as they swung down, Vader used the Force to grab his lightsabers and activate them as they were crossed inches in front of his neck.

As this happened, the other three fighters swung their weapons at their opponent(s) faster than the others. Yoda leaping and twirling around as he deflected Sidious's attacks and Nairbix doing his own version of that as the chair they were fighting on rose into the congress room. For a moment, Nairbix and Yoda managed to pin down Sidious's weapons before taking the chance to be on the offensive side.

Vader, Natasha, and Obi-Wan were now rapidly striking their blades without even taking their eyes off each other. They then twirled their lightsabers around them before slamming them against each other and using powerful Force Pushes against the one(s) they were trying to kill.

With so much power from all three sides, each of them were sent flying. Vader, however, was the first to get up and tried the strike them. Unfortunately, he missed and instead destroyed the shield generator system protecting the station from the surrounding lava; though it was obvious he didn't care. Ironically, they managed to carry their fight outside and out towards the lava.

From above Yoda and Nairbix, Sidious cackled as he threw down the hovercrafts at them one by one. Yoda struggled to keep up with the flying projectiles, but Nairbix easily avoided them as he kicked them away while climbing up to confront his enemy.

As he and Yoda flew up to where Sidious was, the Sith lord immediately sent his Force Lightning at them again. This time, instead of using a barrier, Nairbix countered with his black lightning and Yoda with the Force to protect him. Sidious believed that he was gaining the upper hand, but he quickly realized that he was being overpowered by the two before him.

In an instant, they were all sent flying due to their power being too great. Yoda lost his lightsaber and plummeted to the floor leaving him no other option but to flee. Nairbix, however stayed behind to finish what was started on Cadonia.

He flew back over to continue his fight; thankfully with Yoda out of the way, he didn't have to worry about the old Jedi getting caught in the cross fire anymore. His attacks were wilder now but were still in his control. He then knocked one of Sidious's lightsabers away and sent him flying through the wall with a powerful punch backed up with a Flux Wave.

Once he saw Nairbix come closer to him in the hall, Sidious became so afraid that he began to run away like a coward with the Force giving him speed. "Get back here!" Nairbix snarled as he chased after the Sith.

As Sidious ran, he soon found himself held at gunpoint by Noise Maker Squad. "Sorry, Your Majesty," Spades apologized, "You're not going anywhere."

"You insolent cl-"

"Blast him!" Spades ordered his squad. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to stop the emperor, not even wound him, but they all knew this. This squad had devoted themselves to bringing peace back to the galaxy as well as to serve and die for their general. They were happy to make such a sacrifice.

The first to be cut down was Dars, following him were Zach, Lou and Kul. To avenge to fallen their brothers, Lor and Keres charged at Sidious; they had their heads cut off in a single cut. Wool actually managed to get in a few quick shots on Sidious's arm before he was electrocuted to death along with L, Vince and Tails. All that was left of the proud squad was Jackal and Spades; thankfully, Nairbix finally caught up to them.

"It's been an honor fighting alongside you, gentlemen." Nairbix said as they kept their eyes on Sidious.

"Couldn't agree more, General." Spades nodded as they charged. With Nairbix's speed, he was actually fast enough to slide in and break Sidious's left knee as Spades and Jackal sucker punched him in the gut. Out of adrenaline, Sidious managed toss Jackal aside which broke his back in the process; he died from shock. Knowing they didn't have time to stop, Nairbix and Spades continued to beat the Sith as best they could.

Spades managed to break four ribs, fracture a shoulder and knock out three teeth. Nairbix broke three ribs, his nose, and shattered Sidious's bad arm. But Sidious still managed to use the Force and knock them back. With as broken and bended as his body was, Nairbix guessed Sidious was using the Force to either support his body or dull the pain; either way, he was still standing.

"This is it isn't it, sir?" Spades asked.

"Maybe. But let's make sure it's his end not ours." Nairbix encouraged. Spades looked at the emperor with only one thought in mind: the ultimate sacrifice.

"…Sorry to disappoint you, General, but you're going to have to do that on your own." Spades confessed as he ran towards Sidious and revealed that he had numerous explosives around his waist that he activated. "Because this old war dog has no other choice but to offer his retirement!" he cried shocking both Nairbix and Sidious.

"Spades!" Nairbix cried as his top Clone jumped and grabbed Sidious' head.

"I'm taking you straight to hell with me, Palpatine! You bastard!" Spades yelled. But the sound of a lightsaber being swung filled the air instead of an explosion. Sidious had swiftly managed to cut the explosives in half rendering them useless along with Spades torso.

"Even while sacrificing my life, I still couldn't kill him." he thought bitterly in shame as he looked at his fallen brothers. "Brothers, please forgive my pathetic death."

As he thought this, Spades felt something puncture through his gut where it also stabbed Sidious's waist. It was Nairbix's Keyblade! "The dark side may have given you the power to sense anything in the galaxy," he grunted in pain to Sidious, "But even you can't dodge an attack if you can't see it coming!"

Sidious grunted in pain as his blood began to spill from the wound. "Alright, Spades, you may be going to hell, but you aren't going alone." Nairbix reassured, "I'll make sure this bastard keeps you company on the way down."

"Oh," Spades groaned as death began to take him, "You have my gratitude. Thank you, General." Spades thanked with his last breath before joining his brothers in the next life.

In anger at being stabbed, Sidious Force Pushed them away and used his lightning to make the lights surge giving him the chance to escape while Nairbix was blinded. Once he regained his bearings, Nairbix saw that the Sith was gone and he had no idea where he went.

He hadn't lost this fight, but certainly didn't feel as though he won either. So, he gathered his squad members helmets as mementos and got out of the building as fast as he could before more troopers could arrive. As he stood outside, Nairbix clutched his head in frustration and gave out the most painful yell of his life.

On Mustafar, Obi-Wan and Natasha watched as Vader came closer to them; they were currently zooming across the lava on platforms of their own. "I have failed you, Anakin." Obi-Wan admitted, "I have failed you."

"I should have known the Jedi were plotting to take over." Vader shouted.

"Anakin, Chancellor Palpatine is evil!" Natasha cried.

"From my point of view the Jedi are evil!"

"Well, then you are lost!" they both cried as they continued to zoom past the molten magma.

"This is the end for you, my masters." Vader solemnly said to them. Vader then charged at them once again and wildly attacked them. After they all made their own strikes, they slammed their lightsabers together just before Obi-Wan and Natasha jumped to safety.

"It's over, Anakin!" Obi-Wan declared, "We have the high ground."

"You underestimate my power." Vader warned.

"Don't try it." Natasha pleaded knowing what he was about to do. Sure enough, Vader tried to jump over them; but Obi-Wan took the opportunity and sliced off all but his mechanical arm in one strike. The man they once knew and called friend was now a pathetic shell of who he once was, limbless and trying to pull himself up from the fire.

"You were the Chosen One!" Obi-Wan cried in heartbreak, "It was said you would destroy the Sith, not join them!" he shouted as Vader's eyes completely changed to yellow, "Bring balance to the Force! Not leave it in darkness!"

Natasha said nothing, she only looked at Vader and pitied him as she took his red lightsaber and as Obi-Wan took his blue one. He still kept on trying to pull himself up, but he was too close to the edge.

"I hate you!" he cried through his pain.

They turned to look back at him probably for the last time in their lives. Still Natasha said nothing, she had nothing to say to the traitor; Obi-Wan, however, had one last thing to say. "You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you!"

It was at that point that the fires from the lava caught Vader's blood stained clothes on fire which traveled all over his body, engulfing him in flames as he cried out in pain. Obi-Wan looked away, Natasha continued to look at him; she wanted to watch the traitor burn.

With his flesh scorched and singed, Vader, or Anakin, wailed in pain as he held out his robotic limb to them, probably hoping they would save him. Having seen and heard enough, the two Jedi left their fallen friend to his fate and left.

After they retrieved Padme and met up at Organa's secret base, they learned of what transpired at Coruscant, and of Padme's condition. The pain of losing Anakin to the monster he had become was too much for her condition, Padme had lost the will to live. The medical droids had to quickly operate on her in order to save her children.

Padme was in fact carrying twins.

It was painful for her, but Padme's last act of good was bringing in two healthy beautiful babies into their new lives. Her son she named Luke, her daughter, Leia. Sadly, she never even got to hold them. Her last words were her saying that she believed that there was still good left in Anakin.

Her death finally broke them, Natasha and Nairbix were sobbing as they saw their friend's head go limp. Even though they weren't originally from the galaxy they were in, they lost so much more than anyone else in the two years they wasted fighting in a pointless war.

To make matters worse, the empire was already searching for them and the remaining Jedi so they were unable to attend Padme's funeral. Their last act in that galaxy was to help decided what was to be done with the twins.

"Hidden, safe the children must be kept." Yoda advised.

"We must take them somewhere where the Sith will not sense their presence." Obi-Wan added.

"So you want them to be split up, then." Nairbix stated.

"My wife and I will take the girl." Senator Organa offered, "We've always talked of adopting a baby girl. She will be loved with us."

"And what of the boy?" Natasha asked.

"To Tatooine with his family." Yoda replied.

"I will take the child and watch over him." Obi-Wan informed.

"Until the time is right, disappear we will." Yoda said to them all.

"I'm afraid that's just it." Nairbix said gaining all but Natasha's attention, "We're not coming back."

"We've lost too much these past two years." Natasha added, "This place, this galaxy…there's nothing but pain for us here."

"Hmm, understand we do." Yoda nodded, "Your own home you have been away from for too long. Go back there you must. Miss you, we will."

Natasha then went over to hug the little Jedi who sorrowfully accepted and returned. Both Nairbix and Natasha did the same to Obi-Wan before they made their way outside. In the cart she was pulling, Natasha had Wall-E who shut down during all the fighting and her compacted ship; she even had Vader's lightsaber on her belt along with her own.

With sad looks on both of their faces, Nairbix opened the corridor home and walked through, leaving behind the galaxy they spent so long in behind; forever.

As they left, Palpatine, now using a cane to support himself due to his injuries, and Vader, now wearing a black, frightening life support suit, looked out from the Star Destroyer battle ship they were in and saw as imperial workers began construction on the largest most dangerous weapon the galaxy would come to know. The very thing Nairbix received a sneak preview of on Geonosis two years prior.

 **And that's it. As you can tell, I dropped a lot of my own bombs in this one. Spades and the rest of Noise Maker squad are dead, each of them managed to outlast a war only to be killed off one by one by the one who caused it all. And yes, I did base the end of that fight off of the fight between Greed(Ling), Fuu, and Buckaneer against Bradley from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.**

 **The reason why Nairbix and Natasha knew about Anakin and Padme was simply because they actually understood how their friends loved each other since the beginning and left them alone because they wanted them to be happy together.**

 **As for Wall-E's "death" I thought it would be a nice tragic twist for Natasha, losing her little friend she loved so much for twelve years. I wish I could have done more with him, but he was hard to add into a lot of these scenes. In any case, it added more to Nairbix and Natasha's sorrow after the war.**

 **And yes, she now has Vader's red lightsaber. I gave him that one so he would have the true weapon of a Sith; plus he would've needed it in his fight against her and Obi-Wan.**

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter to see what happened to our dear Narnian and his beloved Princess of Heart after they come home from the war.**


	32. Homecoming, Tragic Though It May Be

**Alrighty then, I'm back from vacation! Surprisingly, I was able to get this finished while I was in Germany. Now that I'm finally done with Star Wars (thank God) future chapters will come at probably a slower pace, especially since I plan to find another job now that I'm back. Also, they'll be a bit shorter, I'll try to keep them a good length, but for the chapters that don't take place in movies, they'll be shorter than what I had during the Clone Wars.**

 **Now before I give you the story and disclaimer, I have a message for all those who have been hurt and are feeling the pain of the tragic events that have transpired all over the world this past month. If you ever feel like today is just filled with nothing but misery and pain, look up at the sky and remember this: you only have to deal with today once. Look up at the sky and remember, a new day will come. It's only 24 hours. You've had the strength to face thousands of them over the years, I know you have the strength to face a thousand more.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, anything Disney, Marvel or Lucasfilms, only my own characters and locations.**

As the darkness from the corridor vanished, the two friends with heavy hearts walked along the path that would lead to Radiant Garden's castle; though, neither of them were eager enough to hurry along inside. Even though Natasha was finally home, she felt no happiness, all she could think of was the countless dead Jedi she knew, Anakin's betrayal, and Wall-E and Padme's deaths.

They said nothing to each other as they made their way to the massive palace, only the sound of the town's water fountain system and chirping birds filled their ears. "Feels strange to be back, don't you think?" Natasha asked finally breaking the silence.

"Hmm." Nairbix hummed, "You think there's any chance you can repair Wall-E?" he asked.

"I don't know." she hopelessly replied, "I mean, I can't even get replacement parts here so I'm gonna have to build them myself."

"Oh." said Nairbix.

"What are you gonna do after you leave?" she asked.

"Well, I had hoped that whenever we came back after winning the war we'd get everyone together to celebrate. But now…"

"Yeah." Natasha nodded, he didn't need to finish for her to understand.

"I don't know." he sighed, "I'll eventually go see Mickey and Jumba along with my master and mother. You?"

"Finally do the job I've been neglecting for two years." she replied dryly, "Sigh, I don't want to do this."

"What?"

"Face my family after everything that's happened. I don't…I don't feel like dealing with their smothering right now."

"Nat," Nairbix said gently, "It's been two years. They miss you. Hell, they don't even know you're here. Besides, being with people that care about you is good for things like this. Believe me, it'll help ease the pain more than just shutting yourself away as you try to fix Wall-E."

"…Yeah, you're right." she agreed sadly, "Well, time to face the music, I guess." She said as they approached the rose gardens. As they walked past the many tall bushes, Natasha spotted her mother tending to her roses. She called out to her and watched as her mother ran towards her and pulled her into an embrace they had both longed for for two years. Ansem and Lea, having heard Rebecca's sobbing, rushed outside and quickly ran over to embrace Natasha as well; the whole time, Natasha choked back a few sobs of her own.

Nairbix looked at the reunion before him and smiled for the woman he loved, he was glad that she was finally with her family; seeing this made him long for a similar reunion with his own family as well. As the day went on, Nairbix and Natasha told the three royals about what went on during the war. Needless to say, they were left speechless.

Thankfully, being able to talk about everything that happened with her family managed to cheer Natasha up a bit as well as hearing everything they had done over the years. It wasn't until they all had lunch that she was finally able to tell more of the fonder stories than the painful ones; she even managed to smile more as they all talked. After they ate, Natasha seemed to return to her normal attitude and spent a lot of time smiling at Nairbix; more so than usual.

"Well," Natasha said as she rose from her chair, "As much as I've enjoyed this, I am in desperate need of a long shower." As she walked over to give her mother, brother and uncle a hug from behind their chairs, she made her hug for Nairbix much longer and tender. Nairbix couldn't help but blush at the gesture, and to make matters even more embarrassing for him, Natasha even gave a light kiss to his right temple.

"So, Nairbix," Rebecca asked the red faced Narnian, "How are you feeling?"

"What?" he asked through his love-struck daze, "Oh, um, I'm doing much better, thank you."

"That's good to hear." Ansem nodded in relief, "If you need a checkup or anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask. The last thing we would want is to let you go around unwell."

"Thank you, Ansem, I appreciate that."

"So when do plan on telling your family that you've returned?" Rebecca asked.

"Oh, I'll go and see them after I leave. But first I just want to help Natasha get situated and readjusted to being back home."

"Of course." she nodded. Not long after he left the dining hall, Nairbix took a shower of his own in one of the castle's many guest rooms. After he got out and dried himself off, he took a good long look at himself in the steam covered mirror in front of him. He could see the toll the past two years left on him finally take effect. He looked sickly pale, his body riddled with scars, especially the eight he received on Cadonia. But most of all, his eyes showed the most change.

No longer vibrant and full of life and wonder as they used to be, they were sullen. He didn't see the eyes that usually stared back at him; to him, they were the eyes of many things. They eyes of someone in mourning, the eyes of sorrow filled warrior wishing to be with his fallen comrades; and most of all, the eyes of a killer. True, he had killed before, but he had never regretted any of those acts, but in this case he did. He regretted those two years' worth of killing because they were all pointless.

The past two years of his life were utterly pointless and he hated that. He didn't know why exactly, but he had his hand pressed against the reflection of his face; a moment later, the mirror cracked from the pressure he had on it.

After getting dressed, Nairbix made his way through the halls, he was alerted by the sound of a sharp whistle. He turned around and saw that it came from Natasha standing in a bath robe from her door frame. She looked much happier than earlier and curled her finger at him seductively as she slowly entered her room.

Nairbix gulped loudly as his face flushed while he entered the room. As he did, he saw Natasha sitting on her bed smiling at him as she patted a spot next to her for him to sit. Nairbix did so, though he walked over slowly from being so nervous. After he sat down, Natasha gently pulled him into a warm and loving hug as they took in each other's scents.

"What are you doing?" Nairbix asked.

"Giving you a hug." she replied.

"Why?"

"We're friends, aren't we? You're sad so I'm giving you a hug to make you feel better." Natasha smiled as she said the same words she said to him the day they met. "You remember the day we met?"

"How could I forget?" Nairbix asked with a small grin as she stroked his hair, "You almost blew my bloody head off."

"Okay, in my defense, I was a little jumpy back then and you kinda surprised me."

"Whatever, Nat, you still nearly killed me." Nairbix playfully retorted causing them both to laugh and Natasha to smack him upside the head. "How is it that you're already like this?" he asked softly.

"Because I have you." she replied, "You were the one who kept me going the whole time these past two years. You're strength was my strength in the toughest times."

"I'm not that strong." he denied as the depression from earlier began to return.

"Says the True Keyblade Master-"

"Who couldn't even protect his men or friends."

Silence filled the room that was just filled with laughter only a few moments prior.

"…Don't blame yourself for what happened to them, Nairbix." Natasha pleaded softly.

"I don't," he replied as he rose from Natasha's embrace, "I blame them."

"…Oh." Natasha replied, "Sidious and Vader managed to get the drop on us, nothing more we can do about it now."

"You misunderstand." Nairbix informed flatly, "When I said 'them', I wasn't referring to Sidious and Vader. I was referring to Anakin and Padme."

Hearing Nairbix mention Anakin wasn't much of a surprise to Natasha, but to hear him use Padme's name, she was utterly shocked. "What do you mean?"

"They were idiots." he replied flatly while rubbing his hands and looking at the walls around him. "They thought that they could have it all; the life of a happy, forbidden married couple on one hand and their careers as another life entirely on the other? Stupid."

"Love makes people do crazy things." Natasha reasoned even though she could understand his point of view.

"The crazy thing would've been to leave everything behind and choose love. But they got greedy; or at least Anakin did and Padme went along for the ride."

"And as he flew too close to the sun, the wax that held together Icarus's wings melted in its heat, and he plummeted into the sea." Natasha recited, "We should've left him on that rock to burn in the suns' heat. Do you think…if you had gotten to him first before Qui-Gon and he became a wielder of the Keyblade, Anakin would have turned out different?" she asked.

"Sigh…I don't know." Nairbix replied, "I think the main reason was because he didn't want to let go of his emotions. But with as obsessed as he was with Padme after only a short time with her as a child and how much he missed his mother, there's no telling how he would've reacted once he learned that he couldn't go back to them. He probably would've joined up with the Inquisition if they offered him a way back."

"It's hard to believe that little boy grew up to become such a monster." Natasha said in disbelief, "Speaking of the Inquisition, how long until you're gonna go back to dealing with them?"

"…I just spent the past two years of my life fighting a war that cost me people I carried about." Nairbix stated, "I'm done with fighting wars. Sigurd and the others can deal with them for all I care."

"Really?" she asked.

"Really." he nodded, "From now on, I'm just going to focus on being with my brothers, my mother, and helping people in need. Just not with the Inquisition."

"Good. To be honest, if you would've said that you were gonna go back out there and fight, I'd clock you in the face."

"I'd hold you to it." he nodded as Natasha rested her head on his shoulder. It was at that moment Natasha took the initiative and pulled herself up by grabbing the collar of Nairbix's coat and captured his lips with her own. Nairbix didn't waste any time in kissing her back, he had been waiting years for this moment and he was going to make it memorable.

True it was his first kiss, but nevertheless, Natasha's toes were curling from the passion she was receiving; she couldn't help herself but moan as she kissed the man she loved. Neither knew how long they were kissing, but both were out of breath by the time they separated. They soon began to laugh at what they just did before they once again embraced each other.

"I love you, Nairbix VanSull." Natasha said softly against his chest. His heart soared with joy upon hearing those words and just as he was about to say the very same words, Natasha cut him off. "Now get out."

"…What?" he asked.

"Get out." she repeated through her giggling as she pushed him up, "I got get dressed into one of those godforsaken royal dresses. I have to make a big speech in front of the town to let them know we're back. So even though I know how much you'd like to see me undress and get squeezed into a corset, I need you to get out."

"Come on, what do you take me for some kind of pervert?" he asked as she shoved him out the door.

"No, I just know what I look like naked. Stick around long enough and you might too." she teased with a wink before slamming the door in his face.

"I love that woman." he muttered.

While Natasha went through the long procedure of getting into her new clothes, Nairbix decided to take a stroll through the town thinking the fresh, familiar air would do him some good. Now before he and Natasha went off to fight in the Clone Wars, most of the townsfolk usually offered him kind smiles and warm greetings; that, however, wasn't what he received. From most of the adult residents, Nairbix noticed they were sending glares towards him as they went about on their daily business. As for the children, some waved and smiled at him while others either avoided him, sneered at him or tried to imitate the glares they saw the adults give him.

"Well, this is a first." Nairbix thought bluntly to himself.

"Come here to steal away another member of the royal family, VanSull?" a young woman asked hotly behind her garden's gate.

"What?" he asked in confusion. Before he could question the woman, the sound of one of the royal guards shouting filled the square.

"Make way!" he shouted, "Make way for Her Majesty, Queen Rebecca Romanoff!" As the square made room for Rebecca standing underneath a canopy held by her servants, she looked directly at Nairbix.

"Walk with me, Nairbix." she said to him, he could tell it wasn't an offer. Once he joined her, they continued to walk through the streets; though he still received glares. "You're probably wondering why the townsfolk aren't exactly giving you the warm welcome you were expecting, yes?" she asked.

"More or less." Nairbix mumbled bluntly in reply as he looked at the people.

"I'm afraid they didn't quite understand the reason why you and Natasha left two years ago, dear." Rebecca informed as they both looked ahead.

"How so?"

"One of the newer servants at the time witnessed the two of you leave. She thought that you had abducted her and planned to do who knows what. Needless to say, when we heard about this after she told to people, we tried to put a stop to it by telling them the truth. Unfortunately, they still didn't quite understand. They believed that you had taken her with you to fight in that war of yours because you wanted to use her powers for your own."

"Typical humans. Always quick to jump to the first conclusion they come up with and stick with that despite the lack of any sort of evidence." he spat in his mind, "Talk about ye of little faith." he said to the queen.

"One of the reasons why they think this way is undoubtedly because of the fear and paranoia created after Chernabog's attack all those years ago." Rebecca contemplated.

"Even though I helped fight him and single handedly stopped that swarm of demons of his from killing everyone so Natasha could get to him?" Nairbix asked bluntly.

"Try to understand, Nairbix. This is a world of light. Most people in worlds like this have a narrow view of light and darkness."

"By seeing light as good and darkness as evil?" he asked already knowing the answer, "I've been dealing with people and worlds like that my entire life, Rebecca. I understand, but I don't at the same time. I can understand how some people are brought up to have those views, but I don't understand how so many of them don't even try to discover their own views on the matter."

"They're only human." Rebecca reasoned.

"And it was a human like that who handicapped my mother and another who started the very war Natasha and I just returned from." he retorted.

"Even so, that's not the only thing I wanted to discuss with you." she informed, "I know about you and Natasha, Nairbix."

Nairbix stayed silent for a moment before he gave his reply, "There's not really much to say on that matter."

"Aside from her telling you that she loves you and the kiss you two shared just before you came out here?" Rebecca asked, "I have eyes and ears everywhere, Nairbix, especially in my own castle."

Nairbix remained silent.

"I know how she feels about you; and I know how you feel about her."

"Would you mind getting to the point? I'd rather appreciate it if you didn't beat around the bush."

"While Ansem, Lea and I would support the two of you, the townspeople would not. All they would see is their beloved princess being deceived by the darkness." Rebecca said not even looking Nairbix in the eye.

"…You know that neither of us would care about that. I love Natasha, Rebecca. I'm not about to let the prejudice of cynical humans get in the way that." Nairbix replied.

"I know. But these people have gone two years without their Princess of Heart, Nairbix. The people of this kingdom, like the other six, look to their princess for hope, stability, and reassurance. A Princess of Heart is the light of the world which they rule. As a wielder of the Keyblade, you know this better than anyone outside the families of the seven princesses. I know how much you want to be with her, but you know that it can never be."

"…But I love her." he whispered as they stopped.

"Which is why you know that you need to put her before yourself. You know what you have to do."

As his heart began to break even further than before, Nairbix said two words before vanishing in a wisp of darkness, "Goodbye, Rebecca."

Back at the castle, Nairbix searched for Natasha and found her tending to her roses in the garden. "You know, you can find even the simplest things like watering flowers to be an enjoyable way to pass the time, even when you like fighting as much as I do." she said happily wearing a dress as red as wine with a pink sash around her waist.

"Yeah…" Nairbix replied quietly.

"Everything alright?" she asked as she noticed his expression.

"No." he replied, "Natasha…we need to talk."

"About what? Babe, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Please don't call me babe." he pleaded even though he really wanted to hear her call him that. "Natasha, we can't be together."

"What?" Natasha asked thinking it was a joke, "Nairbix, what are you talking about?"

"Your people see me as a monster trying to corrupt you. If we start anything, they'll start an uprising."

"And do you think I care about that?" she asked hotly before cupping his face and looking at him with pleading eyes. "I love you. From the day I met you, I've loved you with all my heart."

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear you say those words." he said covering her hands with his, "I love you too. From the moment I saw you, I've loved you. But you have your responsibilities as a Princess of Heart and I can't put myself before you-"

"Who told you that?" Natasha asked a dread covered her face, "Who put those words in your head?"

"It doesn't matter-"

"Who told you?!" she cried.

"It doesn't matter!" he shouted back. They both stood in silence as tears began to build up.

"So this is it?" Natasha asked choking on her words, "After everything we just went through, we finally tell ourselves that we love each and you want walk away from it just because someone got inside your head?"

"You have no idea how much it hurts me to do this."

"…Then don't." she begged softly, but Nairbix created a corridor behind her. As she felt it appear, Natasha closed her eyes knowing that he made up his mind. He walked up to her and pulled her into hug and held her as she cried into his chest.

"I will always love you, Natasha Romanoff." Nairbix said before kissing the top of her head. With a heavy and broken heart, Nairbix eventually let go of the woman he loved and walked to the corridor; as he did, a single tear rolled down his face as Natasha dropped to her knees behind him.

A few moments later, Nairbix found himself in a place he hadn't been to in years, his old master's study. As he saw Yen Sid stare out his window, Nairbix kneeled before him in front of his desk. "I have returned, Master." he said to the old sorcerer.

"So it would seem." Yen Sid commented still gazing out the window, "Though from the tone of your voice and despair in your heart, you have not returned victoriously."

"I neither won nor lost that war, Master. But I did loose many people I cared about." Nairbix replied.

"Such is to be expected in war." Yen Sid reminded.

"It was more genocide than war." Nairbix remarked as his old teacher finally turned to face him. With a wave of his hand, a chair, a kettle filled with hot tea, and two tea cups appeared.

"Perhaps an old friend willing to listen and pot of tea will help do you some good." Yen Sid offered.

"Thank you." Nairbix choked as he took his seat. Neither of them kept track of how long it took Nairbix to explain everything that happened; Yen Sid was especially shocked when he heard of what Nairbix did for Ahsoka.

"It seems that you have gone through more than you expected." Yen Sid finally said once Nairbix was finished.

"Yes." he replied.

"What will you do now?"

"Go home and be with my family. I need time to grieve and settle things." Nairbix replied.

"I understand." Yen Sid nodded, "Shall I inform Mickey and Jumba of your arrival?"

"No. I'll see them when I'm ready. Right now, I just need to be alone for a while."

"Of course. Take as much time as you need." Yen Sid said as Nairbix summoned another corridor, "Nairbix," he called out as his student was about to leave, "Welcome home."

As the darkness cleared from his vision, Nairbix found himself standing in his mansion main entrance. Everything was covered in two years' worth of dust and cobwebs. Without so much as a word, Nairbix walked over to his broom closet and pulled out a broom in order to start cleaning. True, he could easily clean the place in a matter of seconds with magic, but he needed to keep himself busy for a while. About two hours later everything was as clean as when he left. He then summoned all thirteen of his Clones' helmets in his study and set each of them in multiple spaces on his massive bookshelves with Spades' being right next to his desk.

With nothing left to do inside, Nairbix went out to his backyard and used his magic to create a large black marble mural; the names of all of his friends and comrades who died in the war were etched in white. Having that settled, Nairbix went back inside and made his way up to his room laid on his bed. At this point he couldn't even bring himself to cry, all he felt was heartbreak and sorrow.


	33. Family and Surprises!

**I'm back! You know, I originally thought I'd be farther along in this story by now. Not that I'm complaining, I love how my new Once fic is turning out, but it's nice to get back to writing this story; get back into the old groove. In any case, I'm back, don't expect me to update anytime soon, and this chapter took me months to write so don't expect things to flow smoothly :)**

 **Hope you all enjoy, if anyone is actually reading this. And for those of you following me, please give me some feedback! I feel like I'm writing this to no one for God's sake!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or anything else belonging to Disney.**

As the sun shined through the window, Nairbix climbed out of bed. Without Natasha, he would only be able to find closure and happiness in his family. His first stop would be to see his beloved brothers; he didn't even care about getting back at Jumba for sending the experiments, he just wanted to see them.

According to Yen Sid, Mickey had apparently moved to another world roughly four months before he arrived; as for why, he wouldn't say, all he would say was that it was a surprise. So after summoning a corridor to take him to the new world, Nairbix found himself standing before the largest castle he had ever seen. It was easily twice if not three times the size of Natasha's castle and covered with emblems that greatly resembled Mickey's head!

"What the bloody hell has he been up to the past two years?" Nairbix muttered in astonishment. As he made his way inside the blue and white castle, Nairbix could see Mickey's head almost everywhere; even in one of the gardens he saw several hedges trimmed to look exactly like his brother.

"Dear Emperor, how did he manage to get all of this?" he asked.

"Halt!" cried a high gargled voice from behind. Nairbix turned around to find the strangest pair he had ever seen. One was a short duck (about Mickey's height) wearing an armored shirt and pointy hat with a wand with its own little purple hat on its tip. The other was a tall, buck-toothed dog wearing a suit of armor and wielding a shield as a weapon.

"Who goes there?" the duck squawked hotly.

"Easy now," Nairbix said raising his hands, "I'm just here to see Mickey."

"What do you want with His Majesty?" the duck asked.

"His Majesty? You mean Mickey's a king?" Nairbix asked, "You go away for two years and next thing you know, your brother becomes a king." he muttered.

"Uh, you never know, Donald, he could be one of the king's friends." the dog suggested.

"Goofy," Donald began flatly as he shook his head, "If we let just anyone go and see the king, there's no telling what might happen to him."

"Look," Nairbix interrupted, "All I want to do is see my brother. Okay? If either of you could tell me where he is, or at least point me in the right direction, I'd really appreciate it."

"YOU'RE THE KING'S BROTHER?!" they shouted in surprise.

"Yes." Nairbix said with a sigh. A moment later, the two guards turned to look at each other before they started to chuckle.

"Gawrsh, why didn't you say so? A-huck!" Goofy laughed causing Nairbix to smile, "We'll take ya to see 'em right now."

"Thank you. I'm Nairbix by the way, Nairbix VanSull." Nairbix introduced.

"I'm Donald, the king's magician." Donald replied kindly.

"And I'm Goofy, the captain of His Majesty's royal knights." Goofy greeted. After the introduction, Donald and Goofy led Nairbix down the hall to Mickey's study.

"You'll find His Majesty in here." Donald informed as they approached the massive doors, "It was nice meeting you, Nairbix."

"Same here. It was nice to meet both of you too." he smiled.

Once the duo left, Nairbix took a deep breath and braced himself before opening the doors. Inside the room he found his brother scribbling away at a stack of documents at his desk. Next to him was a sleeping golden hair dog sleeping in his bed.

"No thank you! I don't want another complaint letter, notice, or any sort of document." Mickey said not taking his eyes off of what he was signing.

"And what about one of your own brothers back home from a war?" Nairbix asked smirking. At the sound of his brother's voice, Mickey slowly raised his head and looked directly in Nairbix's direction.

"Nairbix?" he asked softly.

"Hello, Mickey." Nairbix said still smiling.

"Brother!" Mickey cried as he climbed over his desk and ran to hug him, "Are you really back? You're done with the war?" he asked in hope.

"Yeah, Mickey, I'm done." Nairbix nodded. After telling Mickey everything about what happened during the war, the little king was utterly shocked and silent; especially when Nairbix told him about what happened with Natasha the day before.

"Wow." was all Mickey could say when Nairbix finished.

"Yeah." Nairbix replied quietly, "You know what the funny thing is about all this?" he asked, "Despite the fact that I had made so many friends, most of which human, my hatred for humans has only grown."

"Nairbix." said Mickey softly in astonishment, "You can't just write off an entire race because of what some people did."

"I'm not writing off their entire race. I'm just done with the ones I know I can't trust." Nairbix corrected, "My entire life, I and the people I care about have been on the receiving end of the evil wrought by humans. The humans who brought the Witch to Narnia, Stephan, the Grand Inquisitor and his followers, Eraqus, Kalabar, his son, Sidious, Dooku, Vader, and now the people of Radiant Garden. All of them humans, and all of them have either hurt me or the people I care about."

"What about our master?" Mickey asked trying to be his brother's voice of reason, "He was the first human you actually met and he instantly took you in, gave you a home, knowledge, power, and the life that brought you to everyone you've met and befriended since you left the Moors. What about Aggie? And Marnie, and Indy, and Marion, and Sallah, and Merlin, and Sigurd, and Goldmin, and Delton, and Trisha, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan, and Padme, and your squad, and Natasha? What about all of those humans, Nairbix?" he asked.

"…It's like I told you, I'm done dealing with humans I know I can't trust." Nairbix replied, "And I'm done with the Inquisition, Mickey. All I want to do is be with my family."

"Sigh…okay, Nairbix." Mickey conceded, "Let's go see Jumba and we'll do whatever you want."

"I don't want to hate them, Mickey." Nairbix explained after a moment, "I just can't accept the things they've done. But enough of that," he waved off, "What I want to know is how in the hell did you manage to become a bloody king?!"

"Oh, well…see, I actually got married to a princess while you were away, Nairbix." Mickey sheepishly admitted.

"I missed my own brother's wedding?!" he shouted, "When?!"

"Uh, about eleven months ago." Mickey sheepishly admitted. His expression then changed to surprised once he saw Nairbix's next reaction: Nairbix sulking in a corner on his knees humorously slamming his fist on the floor.

"Damn that war!" he wailed. Moments later, Nairbix got a hold of himself and continued to spend the next half hour with his dear brother. Before they left to go see their other brother, Mickey's wife/queen made her way through the halls and noticed them.

"Minnie!" Mickey called out gaining her attention. At the sight of her husband, the queen's face gained the widest smile. Mickey then rushed over to her and took her gloved hands in his as he lovingly pressed his nose against her own.

It was a touchingly lovely moment; and yet it was ruined due to the flabbergasted look on Nairbix's face as he stood to their sides. His eyes were humorously wide as he sharply shook his head back and forth to look at each of them.

"They're identical!" Nairbix cried in his mind, his expression unnoticed by the happy couple, "I've heard of some spouses baring resemblance to one-another, but they're bloody identical!"

Instead of being happy for his brother like he was before, Nairbix was more worried for him out of fear that Mickey might've married a long lost relative or twin of his.

"Minnie, I'd like you to meet my brother, Nairbix VanSull." Mickey introduced happily to his wife. Minnie then curtsied to Nairbix and smiled sweetly at him.

"I'm so glad to finally meet you, Nairbix." she said in a high yet sweet voice, "Mickey and Jumba have told me so much about you."

"Nice to meet you too, Minnie." said Nairbix as he nodded his head politely.

"Uh, Minnie," Mickey began to ask, "Would it be okay if I spent a few days with Nairbix and Jumba? It's been two years and the VanSull brothers have some catching up to do."

Minnie happily nodded before giving her king a peck on the cheek and continued on her way. As soon as she left, the two brothers made their way to Jumba's lab via corridor. The lab was just a single building on a small asteroid in the depths of space; thanks to Yen Sid's rigorous magical training, neither Mickey nor Nairbix required oxygen as they walked up to the front door and entered.

The lab's main room was filled with various machines made by the evil genius himself, none of which were things the two Keyblade wielders knew of. "Jumba!" Mickey called out.

"Just do the waiting of minute, Mickey!" Jumba hollered back from the next room; the sounds of sparks and clanking metal filled the room. As Jumba emerged, Nairbix took in the sight of his brother. Jumba had grown even pudgier and larger than when Nairbix left. He wore a large white lab coat and thick, black rubber gloves. But the biggest change Nairbix noticed was Jumba's hair.

When he left, Jumba had long, sleek, black hair that went past his shoulder blades. Now, all he had on his head were three stubby little hairs. Nairbix didn't know whether to feel sorry for his brother or laugh in his face.

"Nairbix!" Jumba happily cried.

Just as the overweight alien was about to pull his brother into a hug, Nairbix bluntly exclaimed, "What happened to your hair?!"

At that moment, Jumba paused for a second before retreating into a corner to sulk as he was on his knees slamming his pudgy fist on the floor. "Was it something I said?" Nairbix asked Mickey.

"Mentioning Jumba's hair is sorta 'taboo' right now, Nairbix." he explained, "See, a few months ago, Jumba tried to make an experiment that would consume Uburnium seeing as it's a rare and popular fuel source nowadays. But unfortunately, Ubrunium is spelled the same as hair in Jumba's native language; so his machines got the two mixed up and created a hair consuming experiment instead."

"And the first source of hair it dined on was my evil genius locks." Jumba said bitterly.

"If it was a few months ago, why hasn't your hair grown back yet?" Nairbix asked.

"Because my head has become so furrowed and clenched, the hair that has grown back is being stuck underneath it." Jumba replied still bitter on the subject.

"Oh, so you mean the fat rolls on your head are backing up your hair?" Nairbix teased causing Mickey to laugh and Jumba to stick his three tongues at him before joining.

"So, how did your time in the other galaxy go, brother?" Jumba asked; Nairbix's response was similar to Jumba's earlier reaction.

"Exntna on the arwa," Mickey warned in pig Latin, "Outcheyta ubjectsa; and don't entionma Atashana."

"You guys do know that I understand pig Latin, right?" Nairbix asked bluntly from the floor as he sulked even further at the mention of Natasha. After composing himself, Nairbix told Jumba the events of what he went through the past two years.

"Oh, Nairbix." Jumba whispered feeling sorry for the Narnian.

"You what the funny thing about all that is?" he asked, "Everyone, myself included, knew that it was a bad idea to bring that desert brat to Coruscant. And despite that he always proudly defended the Jedi and their ways, he broke their number one rule and eventually betrayed them all. And for what? He helped kill all but a handful of the Jedi so he could gain enough power to keep his wife from dying, and yet he was the one who killed her."

"You know what?" Mickey asked, "Enough of all this depressing stuff. I say it's high time that the VanSull brothers go out and make up for lost time."

"Yeah," Jumba nodded, "Let us do the going to Twilight Town!"

"Twilight Town?" Nairbix asked slightly disappointed, "You guys do know that I live there, right? There's not really much to do there."

"Like we said," Mickey and Jumba deadpanned, "To Twilight Town!"

It didn't take long for the three brothers to return to the little world. They mostly went around town reminiscing about old times and making jokes about what they missed over the years. As the day went on and they covered just about every inch of the town, the massive clock tower connected to the train station became their last destination.

"You know, I've lived here for years, and this is actually the first time I've ever been here." Nairbix informed.

"Huh," Mickey nodded, "It's a pretty nice building once you get up close to it. I bet there's a great view up there."

"From what I've heard, some kids will often go up to that ledge and watch the sunset."

"Any of the ideas of how to be getting up there?" Jumba asked.

"Well, I'd imagine that there's a flight of stairs." Nairbix smirked only to see three tongues directed at him, "Haha, come on. If we can't find the stairs, we can climb our way up. Up for a little exercise, brothers 'o mine?"

"More up than you two!" Mickey called as he climbed ahead of them. About ten minutes later, the three of them pulled themselves up laughing at the simple act they just did all at once. As they panted with wide grins on their faces, each brother stared out at the sunset.

"Thanks, guys." Nairbix said breaking the silence.

"For what, brother?" Jumba asked.

"All of this. You two have been nice enough to help me get out of this funk. So thank you." he replied with a sad smile.

"Hey, now." Mickey admonished, "Don't be like that. Of course we'd do this for you. You're our brother and you need us. Besides, we need to make up for the last two years."

"…I hate to break it to you, Mickey, but after what I went through, we can never do anything to make up for the past two years." Nairbix sighed with a sad smile, "Bah. Listen to me, moaning about the past. Not really much like myself before, huh?"

"Nairbix." Jumba said feeling sorry.

"Forget about it. What's done is done. No point in having regrets over what you can't change, right? You know, I could really go for something sweet right about now." he said out of the blue.

"Let me guess, toffee?" Mickey grinned.

"Better. There's an ice cream stand in the market plaza with toffee flavored ice cream bars." Nairbix grinned trying to keep his drooling under control.

"It's close enough to toffee, at least." Jumba and Mickey thought simultaneously.

"Well, if that'll help cheer you up, then I'll go get you some." Mickey said happily, "We can all eat ice cream while watching the sunset. How does that sound?"

"Hmm, three incredibly close friends sitting up on a clock tower eating ice cream. Sounds original enough." Nairbix mused, "Okay, that's sounds pretty good."

"Dribble-berry for me, please, brother." Jumba threw in.

"You got it!" Mickey said with his signature chuckle before running off. It took him a few minutes to run down to the plaza, but he eventually reached the ice cream stand Nairbix mentioned.

"Excuse me." he said his ears just barely reaching above the counter. The Jake, showing that the years were somewhat kind to him, peered over the counter looking for his customer. Much to Mickey's disliking, as he had dealt with this many times before, he cleared his throat to alert the store clerk. "Down here."

"Hmm?" Jake hummed before looking down at the little king, "Oh, sorry about that, little guy. What can I do for ya today?"

"Can I get a cheesecake pop, a dribble-berry popsicle, and a toffee crunch, please?" he asked kindly.

"Well, uh…" Jake carried bashfully, "See the thing is…I'm completely out of all my usual snacks."

"Huh?" Mickey asked.

"Yeah, unfortunately, the mayor thought it'd be best if I change my supply line and switch to different items; in this case, ice cream flavors. So…I don't really sell the flavors you asked for right now. Sorry." Jake apologized while rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, boy." Mickey thought, "Nairbix's not gonna like this."

"I do have some other flavors though." he informed as he pulled out a little menu with the new flavors, "Take your pick. I recommend the strawberry-apple-sickle, pretty tasty if you ask me."

"Hmm, I don't know. My brothers and I aren't exactly into really sweet fruity stuff." Mickey replied crossing his arms, "What else you got?"

"Caramel Cracker-Jack?"

"We don't really like caramel, either."

"Turtle Sundae?"

"Pecans? Blah!"

"Cider Pops?"

"Maybe."

"Pomegranate Ice?"

"Fruity, remember?"

"Walnut-Brittle Swirl?"

"Nope."

"Green Tea ice cream?"

"Ew." Mickey groaned, "Don't you have anything good?"

"Look, pal, that's all I got." Jake huffed, "If you and your brothers are too picky, then I suggest looking elsewhere for ice cream today."

"What about that one?" Mickey asked pointing to the one flavor he didn't mention.

"That?" Jake asked, "I don't know, man. It's not all that popular and it's definitely an acquired taste. You sure you want this?"

"We're not really what you'd call regular people. I'm sure my brothers' will like it." Mickey grinned, "Three, please."

"Alright," Jake sighed as he gave him the treats, "Whatever you say. Enjoy; I guess."

Back at the clock tower, Nairbix laid on the ground waiting patiently for Mickey while Jumba contemplated complex algorithms in his mind. "Bloody hell, Mickey certainly is taking a while. Eh, Jumba?"

"Oh, I'm sure he is simply doing the picking of the right flavor." the alien replied.

"Right flavor?" Nairbix asked looking at his sibling, "We told him which flavors we wanted, remember?"

"Oh, right." he recalled.

"I'm back!" Mickey cheered alerting his brothers.

"Finally." Nairbix grinned as he sat up, "Toffee time."

"Yeah, about that…" Mickey said sheepishly, "They didn't have the flavors we all wanted."

"Ah!" Nairbix groaned as he plopped back to the ground.

"They did have a new flavor I thought we could try, though."

"Does it have toffee?" Nairbix asked sitting up hopefully.

"No." Mickey deadpanned causing his brother to plop back down, "Hold your horses, I got us something that might be pretty good."

"What kind did you get?" Jumba asked.

"These." he said as he presented three light-blue rectangle popsicles, "Sea-Salt Ice Cream."

"Sea-Salt?" the two brothers questioned, neither of them thought it sounded appetizing.

"What?" Mickey asked.

"Out of all the flavors Jake had, you picked a flavor normally found on potato chips?" Nairbix asked.

"Do you want 'em, or not?" Mickey asked waving them in his hand.

"Alright," Nairbix sighed as he and Jumba took their treats, "Sorry for griping, but really, Sea-Salt?"

"It was either this, really sweet, fruity stuff or nutty, caramel ice cream." Mickey informed as they all sat on the ledge and unwrapped their ice cream.

"Good call." Jumba praised knowing none of them liked those options, "It might not be so bad. What's the worst it could taste like?"

"Salt." Nairbix stressed with his eyebrows raised, "It could very much taste like cold salt."

"Never would've guessed that a flavor like this was out there." Mickey said as he inspected the blue bar, "Though, ice cream certainly has become weirder nowadays compared to when we were kids."

"Back then, ice cream was ice cream." Nairbix nodded, "Now everyone's trying to get all these weird flavors and pile on toppings just to charge them more."

"Simple chocolate vanilla swirl was the best." Jumba remembered fondly.

"Yum." Mickey and Nairbix nodded happily.

"They even had a Green Tea flavored ice cream down there." Mickey added.

"What?" Nairbix asked while Jumba shook his flabby head in disgust, "That's disgusting! I'm never going to understand why people are so obsessed with experimenting with tea."

"I think Master Yen Sid would like it, though." Mickey guessed.

"Hmm, he always struck me as a plain vanilla type of man." Jumba replied.

"Hard to say," Nairbix chuckled, "I've only ever seen him drink tea."

"Yeah, I have never seen him eat or drink anything else in all the years I've known him!" Mickey laughed.

"And you've known him the longest!" Nairbix said in-between his laughter and over Jumba's. As the laughter died down, the three brothers watched the beautiful sunset and enjoyed the serenity. "Well, we better eat these now before they melt."

"On three?" Jumba asked, "One."

"Two." Mickey said as they raised the bars to their mouths.

"Three." Nairbix cringed before they each took a simultaneous chomp. A few moments passed as they sat motionless in silence. Each of their faces had looks of disgust.

"You were right, Nairbix." Mickey admitted, "It does taste like cold salt."

"Wait," Jumba said smacking his chomps, "It's…sweet."

"Hmm," Nairbix nodded savoring the blend of the two flavors, "You know…that's actually not bad. Salty at first, then sweet."

"Like it lifts your taste buds from a low salty flavor to a nice, light, sweet taste." Mickey agreed.

"Not a bad choice you did the making of, Brother." Jumba praised.

"I'd honestly get this again." Nairbix grinned, "You know, if-if there wasn't any toffee available."

"So what are you going to do now, Nairbix?" Mickey asked.

"I don't know." he replied wistfully as he stared at the view, "I haven't had freedom like this since…"

"Since?" Jumba asked as Nairbix began to look depressed again.

"…Since I was in the Moors with mother." he muttered.

"You miss her, don't you, pal?" Mickey asked.

"I haven't seen her in years. I don't even know for sure how much time has passed in that world."

"Well, there's something you can do!" Mickey said smacking his back almost knocking him over the edge and scaring him, "Go back to the Moors and see your mother and Diaval."

"What? Now?" he asked.

"Well, no, not now. But after you've had your weekend of fun with us!" Mickey laughed, "Maleficent may be The Mistress of All Evil, but she's always been caring and loving towards you."

"What do you mean 'The Mistress of All Evil,' Mickey?" Nairbix asked with air quotes.

"Oh, that's what King Stephan labelled her while you were in your training coma before Chernabog attacked Radiant Garden." Jumba informed waving his ice cream.

"No one told me that!" Nairbix exclaimed.

"We didn't?" Mickey asked, "Oops, our bad."

"So my mother, who was drugged and violated, has been made out to be the Mistress of All Evil while the man who did it to her goes off free?" Nairbix asked.

"Sorry, pal." Mickey apologized placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Why hasn't the council done anything about him yet?"

"Well, Stephan has a lot of influence and has been gaining support of other kingdoms lately. Not to mention, the one in charge of organizing dispatches and settling disputes between worlds is-"

"Eraqus." Nairbix hissed, "So you're telling me, my mother has been villainized when she was in fact the victim and the only one who is in charge of settling this is the most biased member on the council who has a vendetta against me?"

"Unfortunately." Mickey nodded, "And every time I tried to meet with Sigurd, someone would always tamper with the files saying that I want to talk. Don't forget, I'm still not a master or a member of the council yet."

"Yeah?" Nairbix asked hotly, "Well, the next time I see that scar faced bastard, I'm gonna tear him a new one."

"Really?" Mickey asked surprised that Nairbix knew that term.

"Yeah," he nodded, "Right in between his eyes."

"Um, that's not what that term means, brother." Jumba muttered.

"It's not?" he asked, "Then what does it mean?"

"…We'll tell you later." Jumba replied as they continued to eat their ice cream.

As their weekend went on, the three brothers did nothing but enjoy goofing off in any way that they could. When it finally came to an end and his brothers left, Nairbix plucked up his courage and created a corridor leading to The Moors.

After walking through, he came to see the one place he hadn't been to since he was a child. Nothing had changed, the rivers were still the same, the wall of thorns was still up and the entire valley was filled with its mystical beauty.

As he was about to relish in the quite beauty of his old home, Nairbix could hear the sound of a child's crying. He turned and saw a cute little girl, no more than three, bawling into her eyes as she sat before the jewel pond. She wore dark purple clothes that matched her purple hair and pale skin; much to his surprise, she looked like a human.

Thankfully, Nairbix was excellent with children and decided to try and cheer the poor girl up. He walked over to her, sat down, and pretended to start crying himself. The little girl quickly noticed the sound of crying even louder than her own and looked up and the Narnian in black with emerald green eyes.

"Wh-why are you crying?" she asked cutely through her hiccups.

"Oh, wait a minute," he said playing innocent and acting confused, "You mean this isn't how people greet each other nowadays?"

"No." she replied shaking her head.

"Oh." he replied, "Well, then, I'll just have to do things the old fashioned way."

With a slow twirl of his right hand, Nairbix willed the gems and water to dance around on the surface of the pond. The child watched in amazement as the water took on the shape of little dancers and glided with the gems. To make her even more happy, Nairbix made a water dancer grow in size and present her with a glistening rose made of water and tapped her cute little nose. Thankfully, she was more interested in the spectacle and didn't notice that the rose collapsed back into the water. After a few moments, the dancers and gems looked to the girl and bowed before sinking back into the water.

"That was amazing!" she cheered, "How did you do that?"

"Magic." Nairbix said mystically, "Feeling better now?"

"Uh-huh." she nodded.

"Now what was it that made such an adorable little face like yours all teary-eyed?" he asked.

"I took a nap earlier with my mommy and when I woke up she was gone."

"Oh." he said nodding playfully, "Well, how's about I help you find her?"

"Would you?" she asked hopefully with the cutest smile, "Could you?"

"Of course. I used to live here, you know. I know this place like the back of my hand." Nairbix bragged. Normally, he wouldn't act so cocky, but he had a soft spot for children and he wanted to look cool.

"Okay." the girl chirped, "Can I hold your hand?"

"Nope." Nairbix said with a pout causing the girl to look slightly hurt, "But you can ride on my shoulders instead." he grinned as crouched down for the happy child to climb on.

"Wee!" she cheered, "Onwards, horsey!"

"Neigh!" Nairbix laughed as he walked on. It didn't take long for Nairbix to be wrapped around the child's little finger as they laughed together on their little excursion. Soon enough, Nairbix caught sight of his mother tending to damaged trees.

As he was about to call out to her, the little purple haired tyke on his shoulders beat him to it. "Mommy!" she cried happily as she climbed over Nairbix's head and ran towards her.

"Why is it that every time I put a child on my shoulders, they always climb over me like that?" he asked as he straightened out his back, "Wait a minute." he said as his mind processed what the girl said, "Mummy?"

"Sweetheart, what are you doing here?" Maleficent smiled as she picked the girl up, "Mummy thought you were sleeping."

"Mummy?" Nairbix asked again no less in shock.

"I woked up and didn't see you." she replied as she snuggled into Maleficent's neck.

"Mallie, Mummy told you she had to fix the trees' owies and that you could play after you woke up. Remember?" she asked rubbing their noses together.

"Mummy?!" Nairbix asked loudly as he watched them.

"Darling," Maleficent said as her smile grew even more at the sight of her son, "You're home."

"For the fourth bloody time, MUMMY?!" he asked with his eyes wider than ever before.

"Oh, right." she chuckled, something she hadn't done in years, "Nairbix, sweetheart, this is your baby sister, Mal Bertha. Mallie," she said softly to her daughter, "This is your big brother, Nairbix."

"Bubby?" Mal asked cutely pointing at him.

"That's right." Maleficent nodded as she sat her down, "Go say hello to your bubby." she whispered pecking her cheek; that was all Mal needed to hear. Next thing Nairbix knew, he felt two little arms tightly wrap around his leg as his newly discovered sister gripped it hard with love.

With the shell-shocked look still on his face, Nairbix looked down at Mal and then up at Maleficent thinking, "So Mickey's married and a king, and now I find out I have a sister? What the bloody hell did I miss these past two years?!"

 **Yep, I took a little Mal from Descendants and made her Nairbix's cute baby sister. Get ready for tons of family fluff between those two until I send him to Narnia; after that, it's family fluff with Daddy Nairbix and baby Elsa! Stay tuned.**


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